Follow Me Home
by SoraxKairi7
Summary: "Let's rewrite an ending that fits instead of a Hollywood horror..." ::Sequel to Just Missed The Train:: Rated M for Adult themes. Complete.
1. I'd Do Anything

**A/N:** Wow! I wrote this sooner than expected. I planned out the main points in the story today and I was like, well, might as well write it while it's still fresh! **NOTE: This is a sequel to my story called "Just Missed The Train."** You cannot really understand this unless you read that first! There are spoilers!

I guess I will give a few warnings this time. I am planning horrible things for this story. Abuse will be one of them. Other sensitive subjects may arise and the rating could change later on.

_Tag line's origin_:  
Once upon a time, a certain K-pop band sang a song called "Voodoo Doll." I got the lyric from an English translation. If you know what I'm talking about, then you already have somewhat of a background of this story.

Well, that's all I have to say! Enjoy the story and like always, I love **reviews**!

o.o.o****

Follow Me Home

_Tag line:_

~_If I can't have you, I will just live for you~_

o.o.o

**Chapter One**

Twilight Town's red light district was lively and filled with raunchy entrepreneurs of all kinds. It was frowned upon by the general public, but yet it was a thriving place nonetheless. Five story sex shops, maid cafes, host clubs, karaoke bars and love hotels were only the half of it. In this society, anything goes.

Kairi had gotten into the hostess business. She worked nights five times a week; catering to older businessmen and young, rich boys alike; doing things like pouring and mixing their drinks, flirting, dancing and just participating in casual conversation. She was not allowed to turn down a customer unless she believed they were sexually harassing her, but in a business like this, it sexual harassment was taken lightly and it really depended on who you asked. She was a product of the sex industry, therefore her say in things was limited. It was a tough world to get into, but for someone as lost and broken as Kairi, she seemed to fit right in to the fantasy lifestyle.

It had been a little over a year since Sora died.

She drank her pain away every time she worked; laughed away all of her worries, drank some more and then felt horrible once morning came. This cycle was dangerous, but she had lost control of her own life. She didn't know who she was anymore.

Losing Sora was the worst thing that had ever happened.

Kairi thought about it constantly.

There was no telling what her next day would be like. Would she even _live_ to see another day?

Sometimes, Kairi wished she didn't.

She hated it when guys at the hostess club told her how pretty she was, or how nice she smelled, or even what they wanted to do to her in the back room. She just had to take it and smile. It was her job.

Kairi never thought she would end up like this. She didn't really have any friends; Namine and Riku stopped talking to her when she left the Islands. Olette and Hayner were nice, but Kairi never connected much with them.

And then... there was Roxas.

Their relationship was complicated.

He has been with her the entire time. Roxas was never swayed no matter how terrible Kairi was; no matter how much she screamed at him, no matter how many times she tried taking her own life because of the guilt she felt for Sora's death. He never moved an inch.

Was this how it was supposed to be...?

By now, Kairi had just stopped caring and was letting life just run its course.

The wardrobe room was full of fancy dresses that the hostesses could choose. Once a hostess got an idea of what their customers found most attractive on them, they began to go more towards that style, whether it was cute, sexy or downright slutty. Each customer was different and Kairi pretty much knew what her regulars wanted. When she had a new client, she wore a cute, frilly, navy blue dress that went just above he knees and some heels.

Seifer was one of her regulars. He preferred the more sophisticated side of Kairi. He always made sure to make his presence known whenever he came to the club and requested Kairi every single time. He was like a faithful servant that increased Kairi's pay substantially. Seifer could spend up to two thousand a night on her.

Kairi sat in front of the bring mirror and checked her makeup. The alcohol from previous clients had already set in and she could feel it tingling throughout her body. She hated looking at herself in the mirror. The girl looking back at her was nothing but a liar and a cheater. The girl looking back at her was a horrible person that didn't deserve to live.

_'I should have been in that train crash...'_

Kairi's thoughts often went haywire when she was by herself, hence the reason why Roxas refused to let her get her own place. He wanted someone around her at all times. Kairi may have had the money to do it on her own, but honestly, she was afraid of what she would do to herself if she did live alone.

"Kairi, he's waiting on you." Her co-worker, Shiki told her.

"Oh, sorry... tell him I will be right out."

"Looks like he brought a super cute friend with him." She winked and left.

o.o.o

Roxas was used to the quiet nights.

He hated what Kairi did for a living. Of all the jobs she could possibly get, she chose one that only made him jealous and crazy? Sometimes, Roxas felt that she did this on purpose. She knew that he loved her. She knew that he would never leave her, yet he was completely taken advantage of all the time. She only talked to him when she wanted something. Some days they wouldn't say a word to each other.

He chose this life.

Keeping Kairi satisfied was like an endless game. She was never happy.

He never heard her say 'thank you.'

Even though Roxas truly believed in his heart that Kairi would eventually come to love him, getting there was stressful and often made him wonder if it was really worth it. Even with Sora gone, Roxas still had to fight to keep Kairi near him.

Hayner popped his head in the door. "Hey, are you hungry? I'm going to order some pizza."

"Not really. Thanks."

o.o.o

Seifer's impatience was growing; even though he knew that Kairi always had to freshen up before a new client, he wanted her all to himself right away. Kari came out of the wardrobe room, dressed in a beautiful, sparkly silver dress. Her hair was up in a pony-tail and curled and she looked flawless. Seifer gawked at her and quickly made some space between him and his friend.

"This girl is the best here. You'll love her."

As Kairi was walking over to the booth, she noticed his friend sitting there and nearly stopped right in her tracks. He looked back at her with his yellow eyes. His black, spiky hair pointed in every direction and he seemed like the bad boy type from what Kairi could tell. He had sort of a devilish look about him.

As she got closer, she then realized something else.

The similarity to Sora was striking and almost made her puke.

Kairi covered her mouth in shock as they just waited for her to come over. Her heart beat so fast it could have busted out of her chest at any given moment. She felt a heavy lump forming in her throat and she knew this was definitely not the time to get all worked up.

But... he just looked... so much... like him...

Kairi moved closer to them and with each step her nerves increased. Her breathing was sporadic and her legs were shaking.

Seifer urged her to sit between them. Unable to refuse, Kairi did so, but she just couldn't look at his friend. Who was he? Why was this happening?

As if he read her mind, Seifer introduced him. "This is Vanitas. He's one of my best buds."

Kairi gulped, but that didn't help as she tried to give him the proper greeting. Vanitas gave a sly smile and immediately went for her bare leg, causing Kairi to squeal and jump up in a panic. Seifer stared confusedly.

"Please... excuse me..." Kairi maneuvered around the table and rushed back to the wardrobe room to take a breather. All of her regretful feelings for Sora were rising again and she could hardly manage it. Karma was coming back to her in full swing and there was no such thing as mercy.

She heard boots clanking on the floor by the doorway.

"This is my first time coming to a hostess club or whatever and you're going to make it a bad one?"

She turned and saw Vanitas standing there with his hands in his pocket giving her a dirty look. He then reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and threw a few hundred dollar bills onto the floor.

"I've heard about what you girls would do for the right amount of money, so get to it."

"What...?" Kairi finally understood what he meant and raised her arms defensively. "No way!"

"What's the matter? You don't _want_ me?" Vanitas grinned evilly. "That's too bad..."

Before he was able to say anything else, the Security intervened. Vanitas threw his hands up; they assumed that he was "surrendering." His yellow eyes made contact with Kairi one more time before he coolly walked past the guards. He didn't even bother to pick up the money on the floor.

"How could he just throw away money like that?" One of the guards asked the other.

"You forget, men throw away money here all of the time."

They didn't notice how frightened Kairi was. She felt weak and had to hold onto the chair for balance. Eventually she gave in and sat down, not taking her eyes off of the door where he previously exited.

"Are you going to get back to work?" One of the guards inquired, but then realized her state.

They were nice enough to go and tell her manager of the situation. He gave her the 'okay' to go home and rest it off and made a note not to allow that guy back into the hostess club. Kairi was too afraid to walk home by herself, so she called Roxas to come and pick her up. It was midnight, so he didn't answer at first, but a few minutes later he called back and agreed.

"Give my apologies to Seifer..." Kairi said as Shiki walked into the room. "I just... couldn't..."

"I don't get it." Shiki wasn't exactly the most compassionate person.

A little irritated, Kairi grabbed her bag and went to change back into her regular clothes. She threw the dress onto the floor.

"Lookin' good..." She heard a male voice behind her. Kairi wanted to scream but she was immediately locked in a very awkward position from behind with her mouth covered. Vanitas breathed softly onto her neck and acted as if he would strike any moment. Kairi shut her eyes tightly and tried to hold back the tears.

Vanitas swung her around to face him and admired her almost naked body. Her bra strap fell to the side and that made him squeeze her arms with eagerness and desire. Kairi's vision was blurry from the water that had built up in her eyes. This _Sora look-alike_ was evil. He pushed her up against the locker, still keeping his hand over her mouth, with another around her hip.

"I can tell that you're a very unhappy person..." He whispered in a seductive tone. She then felt his teeth nibbling a little bit on her ear. She wanted to scream. Why wasn't anyone coming?! What was he going to do to her? _Why_ was he doing this to her?

His hand got wet from the tears that rolled down her cheek. This grossed him out for some reason and he ended up forcefully pushing her up against the locker. Kairi hit the back of her head in the process.

_'Please... just make this end...'_

"You listen to _me_... I..."

Kairi was too scared to say anything. Where was Roxas when she needed him? Better yet, what were the security guards doing?!

Vanitas stared at her with hunger in his eyes. He wanted to take her right there and then, but he wasn't sure what was holding him back. He had gotten this far... so why wasn't he able to take complete control? The girl whimpered in front of him and he suddenly felt bad for what he was doing. Who _was this girl_? Why was he even in here in the first place? Why was he so drawn to her? He hardly even knew her name but yet he was being fueled by the desire inside of him. He had never seen her before in his life but right now he had her pinned up against the lockers in fear.

Vanitas released her and she fell to the ground, struggling to catch her breath. Kairi didn't even dare to try and run; she was too weak to do so anyway. Vanitas took a few steps back. Normally he would go in for the kill, but this girl intrigued him somehow. He didn't know what it was about her that made his mind spin.

"This will not be the last time that you see me." Vanitas left the club for good. How he managed to get back in here was mind-boggling to her. Kairi's phone went off.

There was no way that she could tell Roxas about this. He would lock her up and throw away the key.

Trembling, Kairi finally put on her regular clothes; a dressy buttoned up top and dark wash jeans and walked out the back door where Roxas was waiting for her. She looked over her shoulder; she felt as if she was being watched or that he would pop out at any time just like he did about ten minutes ago. Roxas noticed that something was wrong and reached for the door handle to get out of the car, but Kairi was already going around to the passenger's seat. She got inside, cleared her throat and just stared forward.

"What happened?" Roxas asked almost immediately, but Kairi just looked away.

_'He looks a lot like you...'_ Kairi's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't get over it.

Roxas waved his hand in front of her face. Nervous that Vanitas was still around, Kairi begged him to just drive. Roxas did so, but kept his eye on her.

He hated it when she wouldn't tell him what was wrong. They drove in silence.

_'Sora... I really miss you...'_

Her thoughts caused her to curl up in her seat and sniffle. Roxas already knew why she was crying. Without thinking about it, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly as he drove. Kairi didn't pull away or do anything. She was shaking again and just wanted to go home. Roxas pulled into Hayner's driveway and parked the car. Kairi couldn't move.

Roxas got out of the car and went around to her side. He opened the door and hugged her.

"Let... go..." Kairi pleaded, but like always, he didn't listen. He pulled her out of the car and helped her get to her feet. Kairi walked towards the door with her head down and went inside. Roxas just stood there.

He didn't know how to get through to her.

o.o.o

The next morning, Roxas called out of work to spend some time with Kairi. It was okay because he hadn't called out in months and he just wanted to take a little break for once, even if he was off tomorrow. Kairi though was not the least bit interested in him; she just laid in bed and slept all day. Roxas was used to this by now, but that didn't mean that he didn't want things to change. Every time he went to hold her, she either smacked his hands away or left the room. He knew that Kairi was in pain, but how long would she need?

But he promised himself and her that he would stay by her side no matter what.

Sora's death had also taken its toll on Roxas, but mostly because of Kairi's reactions. Yeah, he wasn't happy that Sora was gone, but it obviously didn't effect him as much as her. At this point, he was too afraid to even leave her at home. He drove her to and from work whenever he could, and if not he would ask (more like beg) Hayner or Olette to do so. He couldn't let her be by herself.

Roxas made Kairi some breakfast, but of course, she didn't eat it. This happened nearly every time; he had no idea why he kept doing it. Eventually he would end up eating the food or one of the others would. Kairi had definitely lost some weight over the past year and it wasn't healthy for her either. The only thing that kept her from being underweight was all of the alcohol she consumed on almost a daily basis.

Kairi emerged from their room. Olette greeted her in the hallway, but she only mumbled. Her hangover was apparent; she would have all day to get over it just to go back to work that night and deal with it all over again.

Roxas noticed her in the corner of his eye. She turned on the TV and just leaned her head on the pillow on the couch. Normally, Olette would throw a fit because they were such fancy pillows and mostly there for decoration, but Roxas begged her to basically let Kairi do as she pleased. This irritated Olette to no end, but she kept her mouth shut.

Roxas mouthed a _'thank you'_ to Olette. She sighed and went back into her room.

He knew that Hayner and Olette were only doing this because they were his friends. Their gratitude never went unnoticed to Roxas and he thanked them every day for putting up with Kairi. If Roxas didn't believe that Kairi was suicidal, he would let her buy her own apartment. She obviously could afford it.

Kairi was just depressing to look at.

But to Roxas, she was still beautiful. He wanted her to know that.

o.o.o

**A/N:** I'm so excited to write this. I'm sorry for spamming everyone's e-mail with updates...? Should I be sorry? I don't know. Haha! I hope I didn't lose anyone... o.o. So I know I changed the scene a little bit. I like this better. Writing endings are always hard! (So is choosing a title... dang. Took me two hours just to think of one...)

Leave a **review** and let me know what you think!

Other random updates:

It snowed today! That's a rare occurrence here in Tennessee... and if there was school today it would definitely be canceled for the one inch that we got.

Anyway, the new chapter to Feels Like tonight is almost finished. People Like Us will also be updated shortly.

Have a nice day! 


	2. Empty Smiles

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Two

o.o.o

Vanitas cracked open the door to his old, run down home. He carelessly threw his jacket onto the couch and went into the kitchen. A roach crawled across the counter, only to die seconds later thanks to the old magazine that Vanitas used to kill it. He rummaged through the refrigerator right after. He didn't have anything to eat.

This used to be his late parent's house. He stayed in it out of comfort, despite the huge amount of life insurance that he received after their death. Vanitas lived here all by himself and that was the way he liked it. He didn't cry when his parents died; he didn't even ask how they died.

Giving up on the food searching, Vanitas turned to the newspaper from the day before. There was nothing interesting.

He finally decided to leave the house again; now that he thought about it, he probably should have picked something up on the way.

Although Vanitas didn't mind living by himself, he secretly wished that he could have a girl.

His mother did everything for him. He was spoiled. Vanitas hating cooking and—obviously cleaning. He firmly believed that it was a woman's job and that he should only clear the floor enough to get around.

His house was out in the country-side. The next house was nearly a mile away. He didn't live on a farm or anything either. His parents just happened to like the seclusion. He grew up like this—away from everyone.

Because of that, he was lacking in the friends department. Seifer was the only one who ever really called him out to do anything. Part of him did want to have more social interaction, but another part was just annoyed at the thought of it. He thought people—for the most part—were stupid. He didn't want to be around them.

You could say that he had trouble forming relationships with others. He didn't really know how to properly make friends and often rushed into things.

Vanitas ended up getting fast food but instead of going home, he decided to go downtown. If there was one place he didn't mind going to, it was a bar.

o.o.o

A plate smashed on the floor and into a million pieces. Kairi stormed out of the kitchen. According to her, Roxas had made a very derogatory comment to her and it pissed her off.

"Damn it, Kairi!" Roxas reached for the broom. If Olette saw this she would flip. "All I asked was for you to reconsider your career options!" He yelled, but Kairi had already slammed the bathroom door. After he swept up the glass and threw it away, his anger overcame him. He was not about to let this go.

Lately they had been fighting more and more at the expense of the other couple in the house.

Roxas banged on the bathroom door. It was locked.

"Kairi, you'd better open this door." Roxas fumed.

"Take back what you said!"

"I didn't even say anything bad!"

"I'm not opening it!"

Roxas twisted the doorknob back and forth, but it was no use. Frustrated, he kicked the door and went back into the kitchen. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed down just a little, but only to escalate once again as soon as she came out of the bathroom. He heard her heavy footsteps as she stomped down the hallway and into their room. Roxas hesitated for a moment and then went to confront her. She was getting ready for work when he appeared in the doorway. Kairi rolled her eyes as she put on her heels.

"Who's taking you?"

"I'll walk."

"No way."

Kairi's expression softened. She really didn't want to argue anymore. Roxas was the same way, but it was a little harder for him to just get over things. He didn't want Kairi to be mad at him though.

"I'm sorry," Roxas said in an apologetic tone, "...for whatever I said."

"You _said_ that my profession was only for _whores_."

"Did not..." Roxas could feel himself getting defensive once again, "I said that you are too good for that place. Nowhere in that did I say anything about... whores."

"Whatever."

Kairi and Roxas loaded into his car. It was raining that night and was a little chilly. Living her life on the islands, Kairi was not used to cold weather. Twilight Town had all four seasons and it definitely took Kairi some time to adjust.

When Kairi got to work, her manager pulled her to the wardrobe room right away. He seemed excited for some reason.

"Kairi, since you are in the top ten, we need to have a photo shoot. I'm going to put you on the billboard outside!"

Kairi was somewhat flattered, but at the same time she wasn't sure how she felt about her picture plastered outside for everyone to see. Her face would be heavy with makeup and doll-like, but she still wasn't too fond of the idea.

Aqua, the number one hostess entered the wardrobe room. Simply put, Aqua was flawless. Her shoulder length blue hair was never styled too fancy, unlike the other girls. She was taller than most of her clients, but they were never intimidated by her. She had a pure heart; everyone always asked her why she was working at such a shady place with a bad reputation. Aqua would just laugh it off.

She treated Kairi like a little sister.

"Kairi, you really should be honored." Aqua said with her calm voice.

"But..." Kairi pouted, but Aqua just shook her head and smiled.

"Aqua! Convince her!" The manager pleaded.

"Give us some time."

The manager left the room. Aqua faced Kairi with concern in her eyes. Kairi looked through the dresses, but wasn't finding any that she liked. She had already worn them all. She wanted something new.

"I can understand your hesitation," Aqua started, "when I first started this job I was embarrassed as well. But Kairi, you're very well-liked here. If you do this, you could probably move up in the ranks and make even more money."

"But still go home drunk every night. I've already said goodbye to my liver."

"That's just part of the business."

"Can't they just have special alcohol bottles for us that are filled with sprite or something?"

"Now you're just being silly." Aqua chuckled to herself. "Sit down. I'll do your hair and makeup."

Kairi did so. Aqua pulled the drawer out and searched through the many palettes, eyeliners and every other item you could imagine that could make their face look like plastic. Aqua, however was more about the natural look and only picked a few of the basic things.

"How are things going with Roxas?" She asked as she put the foundation on her.

Kairi cringed.

She remembered back in the old days... everyone would ask about her and Sora. She would tell them how happy she was...

But with Roxas, she couldn't say the same.

"That bad, huh?"

Kairi just shrugged. She didn't want to get into it. Suddenly, thoughts of that guy from the day before hit her. What if he was here now?

"What's wrong?" Aqua noticed the fear in her face.

Kairi trusted Aqua, but she also didn't like talking about her problems to co-workers. She kept it to herself. Aqua finished her makeup and started styling her hair. Her hair had grown significantly over the past year; it almost reached her waist. Aqua ran the curling iron through and pinned her bangs off to the side. She then put it in a half up-do.

"I'll be right back." Aqua left the room. Kairi just stared at herself in the mirror. Her fake eyelashes were a little itchy, but other than that everything else looked great. Aqua was truly talented. Somehow, Kairi felt a little better.

Aqua came back carrying a dark pink dress and gave it to Kairi. "Put this on. It used to be mine but I think it will fit you well."

"It's kind of long... I would trip over it." Kairi said.

"Not in heels." Aqua smiled warmly. Kairi took the dress. After examining it more closely, she realized that it was a little more revealing than she liked, but in a sophisticated way. If Aqua thought that she could pull it off, she must have been on to something. Kairi decided to trust her judgment and slipped it on. It was a halter top and formed two straps across the back. The waist was embellished with jewels—real ones—and made an "X" shape across her abdomen, leaving parts of her skin exposed on the sides. The low v-cut in the back was a little uncomfortable for Kairi, but she got over it. The dress was long and just as she suspected, reached the floor.

"Beautiful!" Aqua exclaimed. "Here are some shoes."

"So you want me to wear this in the photo shoot?" Kairi asked as she put on the heels.

"Of course. You look stunning. Don't you think so?"

"I guess I'm pretty." Kairi admired herself in the mirror.

The manager popped his head back in the door and was ecstatic with her beauty. He then led her up to the third floor where the photo shoot would take place. Shiki was already there, posing for the camera. She was wearing a glamorous, sparkly green dress that went a little bit above her knees.

"Kairi! So glad that you were able to make it. Just taking pictures of the lovely number four here. We will be with you shortly." The photographer's assistant told her, then hurried back to help with the set.

Even though Kairi was wearing this beautiful dress, she wasn't sure if she would be able to truly smile. Most people could see right through that.

o.o.o

Vanitas wobbled down the street—he had one too many drinks at the bar. He just so happened to be on the same street that the hostess club was on. Wanting to see Kairi again, he headed in that direction.

The security guards at the door must not have remembered him from the night before, because they let him inside without a problem. He asked about Kairi, but they told him she wasn't available. Just before Vanitas was about to leave, Aqua appeared. Since he was already drunk, she figured he would be an easier client to deal with. Vanitas thought about it for a moment, but was convinced as soon as the guards told him she was the top hostess. He wanted to see what she was all about—and also, maybe she could tell him more about the red head that he couldn't stop thinking about.

Aqua led him over to a booth near the back. She helped him settle in and offered him some water. The fact that she smiled so much kind of bothered Vanitas. Who could be _that_ happy all the time?

_'Whatever... I just want to know about her...'_

As Aqua started some casual conversation, Vanitas gave generated replies, followed by the horrible attitude he gets when he's drunk.

"I can tell that there's something—or someone—on your mind."

Aqua didn't usually cross these barriers, but she had a lot of power and persuasion.

Vanitas perked up; a little shocked at her ability to read his mind.

"I heard you asking for Kairi."

_'Oh. That's why.'_

"Yeah. Umm..."

"Kairi is a sweet girl. She's quiet unless given something interesting to talk about. However, she has opened up a little bit. If you really want to be on her good side, don't ever ask her about her personal life." Aqua laughed a little.

"Is it filled with pain?"

Aqua was a little taken aback by him, but said, "Well, I don't know. She keeps it a secret."

Vanitas sat there and pondered for a while. Aqua tried to keep a good atmosphere by pouring him a drink and handing it to him, only for him to refuse it.

"I want to see her now." He stood up, but was still feeling the effects of the alcohol. Aqua urged for him to sit down, but by now, Vanitas was consumed with this. He went all throughout the club and searched for her in a drunken rage. The security guards finally remembered who he was and chased after him. The other guests and hostesses were petrified when he fought them off and kicked them to the ground. Vanitas flipped over the empty table next to him and went towards the wardrobe room. She was nowhere to be found.

When Vanitas wanted something, no matter how insignificant, he didn't stop until he got it.

Unless of course, he was shocked with a Taser gun.

Vanitas fell to the floor. The manager stood over him. The guards ran in and dragged Vanitas out of the building.

o.o.o

Kairi stood in front of the camera. Her nerves were getting to her; she may have thought she was pretty earlier but right now she wasn't feeling it.

"Be more provocative!" The photographer urged. "Act like you _own_ the place!"

"Umm..." Kairi put her hand on her hip and cracked a half smile, only to be yelled at again.

"Fine, you want to be dark and mysterious then do that. Turn around."

Kairi's back faced the camera. She turned her head slightly and gave the deepest look of sadness that the photographer had ever seen. He snapped a few pictures and then just stared at her in awe. Kairi's expression changed to seriousness; it came across as sexy and mysterious to him. He took a few more body shots and some face shots.

"You're better at this that I thought." He admitted.

o.o.o

Roxas couldn't sleep once again. It was always hard to when he knew Kairi was laughing and drinking with other men.

_'I could have been a host, but I said no because I loved her. Now she's working as one and it's killing me...'_

Hayner knocked on the door and interrupted his thoughts. Without any response from Roxas, he opened it.

"Hey, Olette and I are going out to karaoke. Come with?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't feel like it."

Hayner shrugged and shut the door. The apartment became quiet a few minutes later.

Roxas sat upright in the bed. How he wished things were different...

o.o.o

Vanitas was kicked out into the streets and just laid pathetically on the ground in the dark alleyway next to the hostess club. He was sobered up by now and just didn't feel like moving yet. It was nearing four in the morning.

_'Kairi must be getting off soon...'_

This was enough motivation to lift himself up. Just as he did so, he saw her.

Kairi was waiting for Roxas outside of the club. She looked really tired and sad even.

As Vanitas watched here from the alley, he felt the desire once again.

Kairi checked the time often. He was late. The door to the club was already locked and there wasn't any warm places around that she could wait in. The closest convenience store was two streets over and she was too tired to walk. Being outside this late—or rather—this early was kind of creepy.

Vanitas got up and started walking towards her.

Kairi heard something behind her and turned around quickly, only to see Vanitas standing there.

"Y-You..."

o.o.o

Roxas woke up around five in the morning. He was supposed to pick up Kairi an hour ago.

"Shit!" He checked his phone. The calls had stopped just a little after 4:30.

Worried and anxious, Roxas grabbed his coat and ran out the door.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Uh oh! By the way, do you see the new cover? I made it! I'm so proud of myself! There's also a new cover for "Just Missed The Train" that I put up. The picture is cropped but I have the full picture. If you want to see it just let me know! My avatar was also made by me. I was way overdue on that one. Haha!

_Review replies:_

**FarmerD**: I don't know, you will have to keep reading! :D  
**Crush-Chan17**: Oh goodness, if I did that it would be weird and wouldn't make any sense! Haha thanks!  
**Dream Fighter 75**: Although there are dark subjects, I'm trying to figure out how to add more lighthearted parts.  
**Ian**: Did you have school? We're getting hit by another snow storm right now. But a "snow storm" in TN is 1 to 4 inches. Haha. The bad part is it rained right before so the roads will be icy. We're down in the single digits!  
**Shiora**: Yes, people are freaking out here over the snow. Especially right now!  
**Englishhedgehog13**: Why would you slap me? -pouts-  
**tetsunoqwaser**: I'm excited to read your story. I'm glad that I've inspired you!

_Other stories:_

_Feels Like Tonight - Chapter 18: 60%  
People Like Us: Chapter Four is up!  
_  
Til next time, folks!


	3. This Love

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Three

o.o.o

Vanitas could see the fear in Kairi's eyes as he approached her.

_'Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way... why are girls always afraid of me?'_ He thought to himself. Kairi took a few steps back. Vanitas smirked and said, "Let's start over."

"What?" Kairi only became more defensive.

"I'm going to give you two options. Either stand out here and freeze, or come with me to the store."

"I'm not going anywhere with you..."

His eyes were the only thing that set him apart when Kairi looked at him. The hair, the height, physique... everything else was on point. But when she stared into his yellow eyes, she knew he was nothing like Sora. Still... it was a little alarming and somehow... she felt weak in his presence...

In a way, it was like Sora came back from the dead to haunt her.

Kairi couldn't really explain it.

The chilly air was getting to her. _'Should I run...?'_

Vanitas crossed his arms and waited for her answer. However, his impatience was coming back.

"I'm waiting for my ride."

"Well, your ride-"

Vanitas was cut off when Roxas pulled up. Kairi rushed to the passenger's side and locked the door.

"Go..." Kairi said in a nervous manner.

Roxas also noticed the resemblance. "Who... is he...?" He was astonished to say the least. Much to Kairi's dismay, Roxas got out of the car and slowly walked towards Vanitas, not taking his eyes off of him.

"What?" Vanitas' eye twitched. He didn't even know the guy and he was already annoyed.

"W-Who are you?" Roxas stammered. He was watchful and cautious.

_'This is so... weird...'_ He thought.

"What is up with you people?" Vanitas threw his arms in the air out of frustration and walked past him. Thinking he was going over to Kairi, Roxas immediately blocked his way. Vanitas raised an eyebrow and simply pushed him out of the way, then went in the other direction and down the street where his car was parked.

"Roxas, please! Let's just go home..." Kairi said, shivering in the car.

Roxas got back into his seat and sat there for a moment. "He looks-"

"I _know_..." Kairi interrupted, "I'm tired... go..."

Roxas saw that Kairi was shaking and uncomfortable, probably from the cold, but something else was wrong. He decided not to ask and just drove home.

o.o.o

Vanitas ended up going to the Family Mart by himself. He gathered a few food items, such as refrigerated rice balls and put his stuff on the counter. The raven haired-girl at the counter was not too pleased, it seemed, but then again it was almost five in the morning. He checked her name tag.

_'Xion.'_ He read.

"That will be $5.50." She was so tired that she was about to fall over.

Vanitas paid and took the bag.

The past year was hard for Xion. She lost her job after she got pregnant so now she had to work two part-time jobs to support herself, her brother and the newborn girl, which included many late nights like this. She was exhausted and it showed in her face. She was too tired to notice anything about him.

She didn't ever want to tell Roxas about this.

"Well, then..." Vanitas felt awkward, so he just left.

Xion was a mess.

o.o.o

Kairi couldn't wait to take a nice, long relaxing bath when she got home. Roxas opened the apartment door and she went straight to their room to grab some pajamas.

"Kairi...?" Roxas whispered. Hayner and Olette were asleep in their room so he had to be quiet. She looked up at him. "Umm..."

He wanted her.

Roxas came up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward and their foreheads touched. Kairi didn't want to make eye contact. She just stood there.

She smelled like a mixture of alcohol and heavy perfume. Roxas didn't really like it, but he was feeling vulnerable and just wanted to kiss her. He took his hand and lifted her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes. Kairi began to tremble, but Roxas tried to ignore it. His lips pressed against hers.

Every time he did this, he could feel all of her pain. This only made him revert to his protective and caring ways of wanting to make everything better. Kairi didn't always comply, but right now, she seemed to be too weak to say no. Thinking of this as an opportunity, Roxas' fingers intertwined with hers and he led her to the bathroom.

Kairi didn't want to do this, but she felt helpless.

Roxas took the initiative once again and kissed her as he slowly peeled off her clothes. Kairi was unresponsive, but this didn't stop him.

_'I will take it all away...'_

Kairi kissed him back, but it hardly meant anything to her. She could see that he was trying as he caressed her body, but to her, she was merely a toy only existing for his own pleasure. Kairi felt that she didn't deserve all of the love that he showed her.

But this was her life.

Sora was dead...

And now, Roxas had to fill the empty void.

They got into the shower, where Roxas proceeded to pleasure her. Kairi went along with it.

Roxas knew that Kairi wasn't into it. He knew how she was.

_'She will love me... someday...'_

o.o.o

Kairi lay naked next to him in the bed. Every time they had sex she felt worse than before and he could see that. Roxas felt like an idiot again. He always got caught up in his passion and did this, only to get this result: Kairi laying there with her back facing him. No loving gestures, no cuddling. Just a cold, lifeless person.

But yet, Roxas still wanted to believe.

Will he always be living in Sora's shadow, or will Kairi come to her senses?

He was never in control. It may have seemed that way when they were intimate, but Kairi always had the upper hand. He was at her mercy twenty-four hours a day. She played with him, tortured him and threatened him, but he still stayed. He didn't care about his own pain anymore. He was living for her, as ironic as that was. If anyone _ever_ even _thought about_ hurting her, he would be there in a heartbeat to put them in their place and save her.

For Kairi, Roxas would do anything.

o.o.o

The next few days were pretty calm for them. Roxas was able to go to work without worrying too much since Olette would be with Kairi that day. He clocked in and went over to the register to count the money.

"Yo."

That word threw Roxas off guard. Sora would always say that.

His co-worker, Saix clocked in and went over to the other register.

"What's wrong with you?" He inquired.

"Me? Nothing." Roxas said.

"Looks like it's going to be another slow day." Saix said, sighing.

"Probably."

o.o.o

Olette sat in the recliner and read a book while Kairi watched TV. Kairi had not said anything to her for the hour that she had been sitting there and it was kind of awkward. She just kept her nose in her book and tried to focus.

Hayner came home a few minutes later. He threw his backpack on the table and came into the TV room.

"Damn, why so quiet?" Hayner asked. He went over to Olette and kissed her. Olette just shrugged.

"Looking at her is depressing..." Hayner said aloud. He wasn't exactly one to be discreet. Kairi heard this and became irritated.

"Really? I'm right here!" She yelled.

"Whoa! I was just saying-"

"Shut up..." Kairi went off to her room and slammed the door. Hayner and Olette exchanged nervous looks.

"You really didn't have to say that." Olette told him.

"How long is she going to stay here? Ugh..." Hayner plopped onto the couch where Kairi previously was.

"Roxas cares about her."

"Yeah, but I'm not a babysitter!" Hayner pouted.

Although Olette agreed, she just stayed quiet.

o.o.o

Roxas had a text from Kairi during his lunch break.

_"Hayner is a jerk. I don't want to live here anymore. I'm going to move out."_

Roxas racked his brain for something he could possibly say to diffuse the situation. He ended up calling Kairi. She answered in an irritated voice.

"Kairi, what happened?" Roxas asked.

"They don't want me here!"

More drama.

"They don't like me at all. I just know it."

"Kairi, that's not true."

"Yes it is!"

"Just... calm down."

"No. I'm going to go and get my own apartment."

"Kairi, no-"

She hung up on him.

"Damn it!"

He called Hayner.

"Hey." Hayner answered.

"What did you do?"

"Oh, you heard?" Hayner sighed. "She's flipping out."

"Whatever you do, please don't let her leave the apartment... I can't afford to come home right now..."

"But Rox-"

"_Hayner_..." Roxas said over him. Hayner eventually gave in.

"Fine, I'll apologize..."

o.o.o

Somehow, they managed to stop Kairi from packing. Olette calmly explained that he didn't really mean it, even though he did and Kairi just went to the bed and laid there. Olette left her alone and went back into the TV room where Hayner was fuming. His pride was hurting and he just needed to take a breather.

"We're doing this for our best friend. You know that Roxas would be lost without her."

"He can go and be lost somewhere else..."

Olette kissed his cheek. "Everything will be okay. I don't like this either."

"It's really putting a strain on our relationship."

Olette was a little shocked. "You... think so?"

He didn't respond.

o.o.o  
o.o.o

**A/N:** For the longest time my family and I had to put up with the terrible fighting from my brother's broken relationship, so I know how Hayner and Olette feel. I will probably end up portraying some of those things in this story.

_Other Updates:_

Feels Like Tonight: Chapter 18 was posted today. (1/7/2014)

_Review Replies_

**Englishhedgehog13**: Oh damn, you figured it all out. -pouts- I guess I can't write this anymore because it's so predictable... :(  
**Reaper aqua**: Thank you!  
**Ian**: I'm always happy to read reviews, so I can't thank you enough!

'Til next time, folks!

Say something, anything!


	4. I Get What I Want

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Four

o.o.o

Kairi wore a knee-length, purple, strapless dress. It fit perfectly on her and really showed off her curves. Kairi freshened up on her perfume and went out. Their manager, Mr. Green was having a small meeting with everyone before the night began. Kairi stood between Shiki and Aqua.

"Girls, girls! Our sales have been _through the roof_, but I truly feel that we can do so much better!" He said enthusiastically. "So I want you to... you know, flirt a little more. Make them drink a little more. Touch more. Do whatever you have to!"

"May I say something?" Aqua raised her hand. His attention focused on her. "Are you telling us to _prostitute_ ourselves?"

The wrinkles on his face scrunched up. "N-Not at all! Just... I want you girls to... be a little more friendly. That's all."

Kairi knew that Aqua was right. She lowered her head.

"Now unlock the doors and let's get this started!" He clapped twice and then left the room. All fifteen of the girls just stood there, unsure of what to do about their manager's requests. Most of them didn't like demeaning their selves, however, in this business it pretty much spoke for itself.

Aqua placed her hand on Kairi's shoulder in a comforting way. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Don't mind him."

Kairi nodded. "Right."

Friday nights were always the busiest. Older men were getting off of work after a long week and were wanting to party instead of going home to their families. For them, hostess bars were an escape.

Kairi sat at the bar with Shiki as they waited for clients to arrive.

"You know what I can't stand?" Shiki started, "when married men come in here. They're practically cheating on their wives."

_'Cheating...'_ Kairi hated that word.

"If you can't be honest with your significant other, do them a favor and leave!" Shiki said defiantly. "It's not fair to them."

A waiter came over to Shiki. "You have a client." Shiki gave Kairi a wink and a thumbs up and walked off.

"Hey, Terra?" Kairi said to the bartender, "Could you give me that wine bottle?"

The muscular man turned around and smiled. "Come on, Kairi. You don't need it."  
"Yes I do." She seemed miserable. Terra gave her a concerned look.

"What's going on?" He asked as he wiped down the counter.

Terra was Aqua's husband. Kairi could not understand what husband would let their wife work in a place like this, but apparently their relationship was very open and trusting. She could tell them sometimes it bothered him a little when she would glance over, but he generally kept it to himself and supported her. Terra was also like a mentor to Kairi and he had helped her through a lot of things on the job, including nearly uncontrollable customers.

Kairi saw one of her regulars walking in with a few others that she didn't know. "Oh, great... it's Luxord..."

"That gambler?" Terra asked.

"Yes..." Kairi sighed and got up. "Well, time to start..."

o.o.o

Vanitas looked around his empty house for something to do. He had already finished a six pack of beer and was getting restless. He picked up his phone and called Seifer.

"What are you doing?" He asked as soon as Seifer answered.

"Oh, uh... me and some others... we're out at this bar."

"Others?" He inquired.

"Yeah, uh, my friend Zack, uh, Rai... just the guys. Come join us. We were going to the hostess bar later..."

"I don't want to go there." Vanitas said bluntly. Seifer got distracted and it sounded like he was having conversations with others, so he hung up.

"So annoying..."

The truth was, he did want to go to the hostess bar.

"There must be a way to get Kairi to talk to me..."

o.o.o

Luxord kept rubbing his goat-tee and staring at Kairi. His friends were also kind of creepy, Kairi thought. They wouldn't drink. They just sat there.

"So... your name is... Xigbar?" Kairi asked sweetly. The guy wearing an eye patch spoke up.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?"

Kairi merely smiled. "And... you're...?"

The other man said nothing, so Luxord answered for him. "This is Lexaeus."

"It's nice to meet you." Kairi held out her hand, but he just glared.

_'Seriously, why do these guys even come here if they don't like it?'_

"How are things going over here?" Aqua appeared. Kairi mentally thanked her. Aqua sat down and joined them. Luxord admired her beauty.

"I just love the girls here. Two for one? This is amazing..." He took another shot.

His friends weren't very talkative at first, but Aqua had an uncanny ability to bring them out of their shell. They were laughing and joking in no time. Kairi just went along with it.

o.o.o

Roxas and Hayner were out buying some groceries. Olette had made them a list and she wanted them to strictly abide by it. She also gave them a binder of coupons and expected them to not spend any more than twenty dollars.

"Thank God she already organized these coupons..." Roxas said as he looked over the list.

"It's stupid. Ugh." Hayner complained. "We don't need all of these things! _Thirty five bottles_ of mustard?!" 

"Yeah, but you're basically getting them for free." Roxas countered. He really didn't have any right to argue with Olette's preferences, especially with how much they were helping him.

"We have an entire extra bedroom for this shit. I could have used it as a game room or something! But yet it's filled up with all of this...? We have twelve bottles of Tide alone!"

"It's not like these things are scattered all over the house."

"Yeah, she's such a clean freak."

Once they filled up two carts, they made their way over to the register. The lady sighed and began scanning all of their items, giving them strange looks.

"What? We're not a couple." Hayner said.

"Not... what I thought." The lady responded and continued to scan at lightning speed. The two teenagers that were bagging the items seemed overwhelmed but worked efficiently.

"Do you have any coupons?"

Roxas pulled out the binder with the bag that Olette had prepared specifically for the trip.

"The final price will be $21.54."

"Crap. What did we do wrong?" Roxas looked at the screen.

"Argh, just pay the extra dollar and let's get out of here!" Hayner demanded.

Once they got back and had finally finished carrying all of the items up the stairs and into the back room where Olette's collection was, Roxas went to his room and passed out.

o.o.o

Kairi got out around three in the morning, which was actually pretty early, especially for a Friday night. She was still drunk from all of the alcohol she drank with the clients and could barely stand.

"Do you need a ride?" Aqua asked her as she walked out with Terra. Kairi shook her head and pointed to her phone.

"Roxas... will come and get me."

All of a sudden, she heard a deep voice behind her, but when she tried to turn around she felt dizzy and lost her balance.

Vanitas caught her right before she fell over. Aqua and Terra also supported her.

"I'll take her home." Vanitas told them.

"Are you a friend of hers?" Terra asked in disbelief.

"...Sora..." Kairi mumbled, "...you're... here..."

Vanitas blinked a few times; a little confused. Aqua and Terra assumed that she did know him.

"Alright, take care of her then."

Surprised that they went along with it, Vanitas carried Kairi over to his car. She was falling asleep and felt a little sick. He put her in the back seat.

_'Who is Sora?'_

o.o.o

Roxas woke up twenty minutes later and got ready so he could go and pick Kairi up. He checked his phone, but there was nothing from her, so he figured she had a normal schedule.

When he arrived and saw how empty it was and that the doors were locked, Roxas got out of the car and looked around. He called Kairi a few times, but no answer.

Nervous, Roxas was shaking. "Damn it... where is she?"

He had Aqua's number, so he called her in desperation.

"Hello...?"

"Hey Aqua, it's Roxas. Is Kairi with you?"

"No... some guy said he would take her home."

Roxas gulped. "Some... guy?"

"Yeah, I think she said his name was... Sora or something."

"What?!"

o.o.o

Vanitas took Kairi into his house and laid her out on the couch. She had passed out in the car and had not woken up since. Vanitas twitched. He could see her cleavage.

_'What is it about this girl...?'_

o.o.o

**A/N:** I have to stop it here! I wonder what Roxas is going to do now? Better yet, what will Vanitas do? **Leave a review!**

_Other random _updates:

GUESS WHAT EVERYONE?! I'm so excited. Do you know the TV show, "Nashville?" Last November I was a paid extra in that show and got a few close ups. (Mind you, Kairi's voice actress is one of the mains in this show, can't say her name on here; I saw her in person last summer. So awesome) The episode I'm in will premiere next Wednesday! (episode 211; 1/15/2014) Honestly I don't really watch the show but it was a lot of fun to be part of it, even if it was freezing cold. We were around a bonfire and at least I got to be somewhat close! 

Can't wait for it!

o.o.o


	5. Prisoner of Love

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Five 

o.o.o

The sun was rising by now. There was no sign of Kairi anywhere. Roxas panicked, knowing the circumstances. That _Sora look alike_ had her—he must have; Kairi was impaired and vulnerable. Roxas cringed at the possibilities of what she could be doing right about now—or worse, what _he_ was doing to her. But how would he find them? They could be anywhere!

He drove around, hoping that they would still be walking somewhere nearby. Each time he turned a corner and came onto a new street, they were shattered when he didn't see her. The fear for Kairi's sanity—or rather, her _life_, was at stake. His head was spinning with terrible scenarios.

_'This can't be happening... it just... can't...'_

o.o.o

The light shone through the window, illuminating the room and causing Kairi's eyes to flicker open. She noticed how uncomfortable it was laying on whatever she was on and lifted herself up. Kairi then realized that she didn't recognize her surroundings. On top of that, her head was aching from the night before. She heard noises coming from her left, which apparently was a kitchen.

_'Where... am I...?'_

She would be a little more alarmed if she didn't suddenly feel so sick.. Looking around, Kairi rose and desperately searched for a bathroom. She could barely stand without her legs wanting to give in on her, but still she forced herself to move. She could feel the vomit building up in her throat. Covering her mouth, Kairi ran into the hallway ahead and finally was able to throw up. Vanitas heard this from the kitchen and ran to her aid, but instead of busting the door down, he just stood outside and listened to her vomit.

After Kairi finally felt like it was over, she leaned against the bathtub and buried her head in her knees. She felt like shit.

She was a little more awake now.

Panic time.

"Oh my God!" Kairi jumped up and nearly fell over into the bathtub, but grabbed the bar of the towel rack and saved herself. This gave Vanitas the notion to open the door. As soon as Kairi saw him—only in his boxers—she screamed and wrapped her arms around her own body to cover herself. Vanitas gave her a weird look..

"I didn't rape you." He said bluntly.

"What?!" Kairi shrieked. She felt trapped.

"You want me to?" He replied, making her even more afraid. Kairi looked around for some sort of weapon, but she highly doubted a plunger—the closest thing to her—would get her very far. Vanitas rolled his eyes and went into the living room.

Kairi slowly came out of the bathroom. She could see him sitting on the couch where she previously sat. He turned on the old TV and flipped through the channels. His silhouette reminded her of Sora greatly and she was taken back to that time...

_'Sora...'_

Entranced, Kairi made her way over to the black-haired clone. For a moment, Kairi almost thought that she _saw_ Sora.

"Why are you staring at me? Stop."

She couldn't hear him.

_'Could it be...?'_

Kairi was delusional at this point—it wasn't even the alcohol anymore. Her longing for Sora to somehow reappear from the dead was impairing her judgment and Vanitas couldn't really do anything about it.

Kairi sat next to him; not taking her eyes off of him even once. Her hand reached for his face. Was he even _real_? Was Kairi imagining this? Sure, she had seen him a few times before, but now that she was actually voluntarily close to him, she had a chance to examine his features. His hair may have been darker, but the style was exactly the same. His face was the same shape, he was a little more muscular but that was dismissed. Same tan, same big hands... everything...

Was he a curse... or a blessing?

Kairi couldn't tell...

And all she could ask was, "Are those contacts?"

"What the Hell?" Vanitas moved away from her. "What is wrong with you?"

Kairi watched him intently, seeming to ignore the annoyed expression on his face from how close she was to him.

_'Is she crazy?'_

"Ahem..." Vanitas cleared his throat. Kairi's finger touched his cheek.

"It..." she spoke, "_is you_... right...?"

"Huh?" Vanitas was starting to regret ever bringing her back here. But at the same time, his desires for her were starting to take over. Even if she was crazy, she was pretty hot.

This was the way Vanitas' mind worked.

He could easily take advantage of her to satisfy himself.

Despite being attracted to her, Vanitas refused to listen to his conscious. His conscious was telling him that he was wrong, but he really didn't care. There was a woman in his house—apparently wanting him, for reasons unknown. Even if she thought he was someone else or whatever, he only cared about himself.

'_'Fine, if that's the way you want it...' _Vanitas smiled mischievously and moved towards her.

o.o.o

_Tick tock, Tick tock..._

As time went by, Roxas was going crazy. Where was she? What was she doing? Why... once again... wouldn't she call him? Was she in trouble?

"DAMN IT!" Roxas punched the closest thing to him—his car window. It shattered before him, causing his hand to bleed. He didn't feel it, though. The pain inside was way more evident and agonizing than a few cuts and bruises. He had no direction—no hints—nothing to lead him to her.

The police wouldn't help him.

Kairi's phone didn't have a tracker. He probably should invest in that...

Roxas stayed in front of the hostess club. If she was okay, she would come back for work that night, right?

_'No... I can't wait that long... but what choice do I have...? And what if... she doesn't show up...?'_

He finally decided to wrap up his wound in a small white cloth that he found in his back seat. Roxas flinched at the sting, but it was nothing.  
_  
_He convinced himself to keep looking for her, even if he would be out all day and night.

o.o.o

Vanitas and Kairi lay in his bed. Kairi was silent.

What had she just done...?

"Let's do it again..." Without warning, Vanitas climbed back on top of her. He covered her mouth and ignored the look of sheer terror on her face. He then started creating hickies all over her. He showed no mercy when it came to biting; Kairi wanted to scream out in pain. This wasn't the way Sora was.

She finally came back to reality.

"Stop! Please!" Kairi struggled beneath him. However, this only turned him on more. He held her arms down tightly and sloppily kissed her. When Kairi wouldn't comply, his frustration grew and he was overcome with determination to get his way. He was like a completely different person.

"You are _mine_ now..."

Kairi wasn't strong enough.

o.o.o

**A/N: **And so... it begins.

Part of me wants to change the rating, but the other just wants to keep it at T. Bet you know what my choice was on KH1 when Tidus asks what am I most afraid of in the beginning of the game. (Just watched PewdiePie play through part of KH... SO FUNNY)

Uhh, anyway, see that little cute box below? **Write something in it**!

_Other updates!_  
I'm an Admin on a KH Fanfiction page under the name "Kairi." Go to my profile and like the page! Pwetty pwease? :D Thanks to anyone who already did! 


	6. What Goes Around Comes Around

**Follow me Home**

Chapter Six

o.o.o

The power that Vanitas felt he had over Kairi was enticing. He flipped her over on her back and proceeded to kiss her all over. Kairi, on the other hand was barely hanging onto reality; she was almost in denial that this was even happening; that she was actually being fondled _against her will_, and that it was not stopping. It wasn't like she could just close her eyes and make it go away—no, he was actually trying to rape her—again.

She just lay there and took it. She was too weak to fight back; too worn out to say anything; too much in physical and mental pain to even think straight.

_'This... is just my punishment... all over again...'_

_'I... deserve this...'_

Her tears stained the pillow she rested her head on; but of course, it wasn't the least bit comfortable. Her eyes were locked on the window while Vanitas used her for his own desires. She couldn't move... and that frustrated him.

Vanitas was getting what he wanted. Kairi might as well just let him.

"Turn over, bitch."

Kairi wasn't listening. She was lost in her own sorrow and felt worthless. Vanitas then forced her to lay on her stomach.

After what seemed like an eternity, he was finally done... for now.

"Put your clothes on."

Kairi was stagnant. She knew that she should do whatever he says, but she just couldn't bring herself to get up. Vanitas grabbed her arm and pulled her off of the bed. She fell onto the floor. One of the sheets came with her, covering part of her already naked body. Vanitas could feel his anger burning inside of him. He _needed_ to control her.

He hadn't been like this in a long time. In a sick and twisted way, to him, it was refreshing. He finally had someone he could do anything he wanted with. Letting this opportunity go was madness and he planned to take out every advantage from it that he possibly could. He watched as Kairi struggled to reach for her undergarments and white blouse. When she picked up her underwear, she noticed they were ripped. Vanitas must have done this, she thought. She gave him an astonished look.

"Looks like you'll just have to do without." He shrugged. "Hurry up!"

His yelling made her jump. She hurried to put on her clothes. Wearing jeans was the most uncomfortable thing ever, but not nearly as bad as to what just happened to her.

_'Why... why... Sora...?'_

_'Is this... what has become of me...?'_

"I'm hungry," Vanitas blurted out, interrupting her thoughts. "Make me something, now."

He knew he didn't have anything in the house, but he just wanted to see if Kairi would actually do it. Kairi tried to stand, but the pain from where he was ached. She didn't notice how rough he was being initially, but the after effects were terrible. Kairi felt that she had no choice but to do what he said, or he would probably do it again.

She almost forgot where the kitchen was. Kairi placed on hand on the wall to support herself as she stumbled down the hallway. It was faint, but she could hear a vibrating sound coming from her purse in the living room. Vanitas must have heard this too, because he pushed her out of the way and went to answer the phone. Panicking, Kairi wanted to stop him, but she was too afraid.

"Stop calling this phone, damn it!" Before the person on the other line could respond, he dropped the call, put the phone on silent and placed it into his pocket.

_'Whatever is Kairi's... is mine now...'_

Kairi stood in the doorway to the kitchen. She wasn't even sure if she realized the intensity of what was happening right now...

"Bitch, what are you doing? Make me something to eat!" He demanded. Kairi gasped and hurried into the kitchen. Vanitas let out an evil laugh, then followed her. He took a seat at the table.

_'He's going to hurt me again... if I don't do it... damn it, why can't I find anything?!'_ Kairi's mind spun as she desperately searched for any sort of edible thing, but no luck. Vanitas erupted in laughter once more and got up.

"Looks like I need to get some groceries." He said as he swiftly wrapped his arms around her stomach. Kairi shrieked at his touch. His fingers went underneath her shirt. Vanitas loved the feel of her bare stomach, but he didn't want to have sex again at that moment. Putting Kairi in these situations was arousing, yet funny at the same time.

_'Please... let go... of me...'_

She wanted to say it, she really did.

But it would be to no avail.

o.o.o

Roxas threw his phone down onto the ground. "She IS with that guy! What the hell!"

"Roxas!" Aqua and Terra ran up to him. "We got here as quickly as we could... we are _so_ sorry... we should have taken better care of-"

But Roxas was off in his own world. He was shaking. He wanted to find her now more than ever.

"Now that I think about it..." Aqua started, "Ahh... I should have noticed it sooner! I've talked to that guy before!"

"What?!" Terra and Roxas said in unison.

"Yeah... he was really intent on seeing Kairi... and then he was the one who went crazy and started smashing things!" She looked to Terra for his approval. "Remember?"

"That was _him_?!" Terra called out; the stupidity and regret finally sinking in. "I can't believe we..."

"He's _violent_ too?" Roxas shouted. This only made things worse. "We have to find Kairi! Don't you guys keep records of your guests?! Anything?"

Aqua shook her head in shame. "We can't invade their privacy like that. Most of our clients are married men..."

"Well, when you talked to him, did he give you any hints as to where he lives? Anything at all?!"

"No... all I knew was... he was a little messed up in the head..."

"And yet you let him take her..." Roxas had to let his anger out on somebody. "YOU LET HIM TAKE HER WITH HIM!"

"Again, we didn't realize that! It was four in the morning, I had too much to drink, and she seemed to know his name!"

"But... still!" Roxas wanted to pull his hair out. He took a few deep breaths.

"The point is—Kairi is missing and we have to find her." Terra said. "Just standing around and fighting about it won't help."

Although Roxas agreed with him, that still didn't dismiss the fact that this was their fault for not using better judgment. He groaned.

"What happened to your hand, by the way...?" Aqua asked carefully.

"Don't worry about it."

They all got into Terra's SUV and began driving around. They asked anybody and everybody if they had seen the two, hoping for answers but nobody knew anything. Nobody saw them.

Roxas called out of work; only briefly explaining his situation to Saix, whom wasn't too happy about it. Roxas could care less, however; he was intent on finding Kairi and bringing her back to safety. It was close to noon and he could barely keep his composure anymore.

"We will find her, Roxas... don't worry..." Aqua tried to say in a comforting manner, but it only came across to him as annoying.

o.o.o

Vanitas forced Kairi into his car. Once she sat down, instead of closing the door and going to his own side, he climbed on top of her and made out with her right there in the seat. Kairi tried pushing him off of her, but he was way stronger. He noticed this and restrained her.

"You will do... what I want you to do. You understand me?"

"Y-Yes..."

"I can't hear you."

He clearly could; he was two inches from her face.

"Yes!"

"Good girl..." His fingers caressed her chin. He climbed over into his own seat and put on the child locks so she couldn't get out. Kairi just sobbed.

"You'd better act properly at this place that I'm taking you."

She wanted to know where they were going, but she couldn't ask. Her tears rolled down her cheeks. How could everything change so significantly in one day?

_'What... do... you want... with me...?'_

o.o.o

They arrived at a small cafe downtown. Kairi tried to wipe her tears away and not look completely pathetic; who knew what he would do to her if she didn't obey? Vanitas got out of the car and circled around to her side. Kairi sniffled and unbuckled her seat belt. He swung the door open. Afraid, Kairi hurried to get out of the car.

It was as if his demeanor had changed completely, because he smiled and put his arm around her. People sitting outside watched in confusion, but said nothing.

"Walk with me... now." Vanitas whispered into her ear. They started walking towards the door. People watched.

Vanitas opened the door for her. "After _you_, my dear."

Kairi gave him a confounded look, but hurried inside. Vanitas made sure to flash a smile at the people sitting at the tables before walking in.

"Welcome to Cloud Cafe, how may I help you?" The lady at the counter greeted.

Vanitas put his arm around her shoulder once more. "Me and my wonderful _girlfriend_ here would like two cappuccinos. I'd also like a set of 12 regular donuts."

_'His... girlfriend...'_ Kairi repeated in her head. The lady thought something was strange about them, but in order to be professional, she merely punched in their orders.

Vanitas could see that Kairi wasn't acting the way he wanted her to.

_'Maybe I can escape... somehow...'_ Kairi noted the exits. Plus, since he was putting on a new face in public, she could probably use that to her advantage.

"H-Honey... I need to... make a call." She gulped as she extended her arm. "May I please have my phone...?"

Vanitas was baffled. _'Very daring of you, Kairi. VERY daring...'_

"I don't have it." He said simply.

Kairi didn't back down. "But... isn't that it in your pocket?"

The lady at the counter eyed them. Vanitas could feel his anger building up. If he were drunk, he would not have hesitated to smack her to the ground.

"Oh, this?" Vanitas pulled it out of his pocket. This was her chance. Kairi grabbed the phone as quickly as she could and made a run for it.

"HELP ME! Help!" She screamed as she hid behind a tall, muscular man. "That guy... he's not my boyfriend! He's a liar! He... he raped me!"

As crazy as it sounded, the older man took her outburst to heart and shielded her. Vanitas couldn't believe that Kairi defied him like this. (Kairi couldn't believe it herself). Vanitas just stood there, probably mentally cursing her in his mind, but Kairi didn't care, she just wanted to get away from him. He was stupid for even bringing her out here, anyway. Her purse with all of her money and ID's were still in the car, however...

She informed the older man of this. He went over to Vanitas, grabbed him by the collar and punched him in the face. Kairi ran to the car and retrieved her purse. She wished that she could stick around to thank him, but this was her chance.

As soon as she felt like she was far enough away, she called Roxas.

o.o.o

Meanwhile, a short, slender woman with dark brownish-black hair opened the door to her backyard and peered out. Her husband was sitting out on the patio.

"Leon... come eat some lunch with us."

His head turned slightly, but he just sat there. His wife walked up to him.

"It's his last day here. Please?"

"He's not ready to leave yet, Rinoa."

She sat down next to him and sighed. "We can't keep him here forever."

"I know, but-"

"Hey! Are we going to eat, or what? I'm starving!" The boy appeared at the door.

"Just a minute, Sora. I have to convince _your uncle_, here." Rinoa said, flashing a glare in Leon's direction.

"Uhh, okay." Sora went back inside.

"I'm not letting him leave." Leon finally gave in and went inside with her.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** So, um.

There's no way I can write a KH fanfic without our beloved Sora! At first I didn't even consider it, but you guys have _FarmerD_ to thank for this. :D

And I know this makes things ten times more complicated. Yay!

I swear, these chapters seem longer when I write them.

_Other Updates_  
Wow, the Facebook page is growing substantially! I hope we can get the whole KH fanfiction community on there. Hey, one can dream, right?

I've also noticed that I have never written a story where Riku is the main, MAIN character. Hmm. Plans...

_Story progress as of 1/14/2014_  
Feels Like Tonight chapter 19: 10%

**Leave a review!**


	7. Time To Go

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Seven

o.o.o

A loud cry erupted from the other room. Xion was snapped out of her deep slumber. She was grouchy due to a lack of sleep. It wouldn't stop.

"Ienzo!" She covered her head with the pillow and tried to block out the noise, but it didn't help. Ienzo came into the room holding the newborn.

"She must be hungry or something and I can't help her with that!" Ienzo shouted.

"Ugh..." Xion rose from the bed and lazily walked over to him. She grabbed her daughter. Ienzo turned around as she began to breastfeed. It was exactly what the three month old wanted.

"Look, you're the one who wanted to get pregnant _so badly_." Ienzo mentioned.

"But you are basically living here for free. You could at least try to help out... I've only gotten four hours of sleep in the past two days..."

"Excuse me? Who has been the one babysitting while you went out to your two jobs? And by the way, when are you going to tell Roxas about this?" Ienzo glared.

"Never." Xion said instantly. "He doesn't need to know. It's not like... I liked him or anything..." Her eyes shifted to the side.

"I just can't understand it. Why did you need to have a baby?"

"My purpose is not important anymore."

Ienzo sighed. "Did you think that it would just be a free ride? Were you really that desperate for someone to love you?"

"Argh! Shut up!"

The baby started crying again. Xion shushed her.

"It's okay... Ayaka... don't cry..."

o.o.o

Terra sped down the road to the store that Kairi told them she was hiding in. As soon as he found it and parked, Roxas jumped out of the car and raced over to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Kairi wept as he held her. Aqua and Terra also ran over to her.

"What happened to you, Kairi? What did he _do_?!" Roxas was irate, but extremely worried at the same time. He could hardly keep himself together.

"Let's get her into the car." Aqua motioned them over to it and opened the door. Kairi tried to get inside, but Roxas had to help her lift her leg. Once she was seated, he hurried to the other side and gently pulled her so that she was leaning on him. Kairi's eyes and face were red from crying so much and she was having trouble breathing. She instinctively put her hand between her legs, making Roxas wonder even more about what he did to her. He felt like he knew, but he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't even imagine what Kairi was feeling.

_'I'll... kill him...'_

Terra started driving down the road. "Would you like me to just take you guys home or do you want to come to our house for a while?"

"Uhh..." Roxas rubbed Kairi's arm in support, "Just... take us home... please..."

"Kairi doesn't need to worry about coming to work. I'll see to it that she gets at least a week off..." Aqua watched her in the rear view mirror, but couldn't take it so she just stared out the window.

"A week...? She's _never_ going back... I... won't allow it..."

"Honestly, I agree with him." Terra added. Aqua was silent. After about ten minutes, Terra pulled into the apartment complex parking lot and stopped.

"Do you need us to help you get her upstairs?" Aqua asked with deep concern.

"I'll take care of her." Roxas went around to the other side and lifted Kairi out of the car. Terra and Aqua just stayed in the car and watched him go inside.

"She's been through more than both of us combined..." Aqua said.

"Every time I look at her, it's like I'm looking at a lost puppy. Now... I don't even know..." Terra added.

"She's broken beyond repair..."

o.o.o

Vanitas was thrown out of the cafe and onto the street. He walked over to his car with a bloody nose; he was no match for that guy. He was humiliated and it was all Kairi's fault.

_'Just wait until I get my hands on her... she's going to pay for this...'_

He kicked the edge of his car, hurting his foot in the process. He bounced on one foot as the pain circulated through his veins. He slammed his car door and drove off so fast he could have killed anyone in mere seconds.

This was absolutely revolting.

o.o.o

Hayner opened the door for them and Roxas hurried to their room and put her on the bed. He pulled the covers over her, but she didn't move. He stayed there for a moment and tried to figure out something that he could do, but he really couldn't think of anything.

All he could do was blame himself for not being there for her.

For now, he decided to just let her rest. She flinched at his touch and had the most devastating look in her eyes. Something terrible had happened to her.

Something... unforgivable...

...and he didn't know how to fix it.

Olette and Hayner were sitting at the kitchen table in silence. Even they were worried about Kairi's state. Roxas came into the room and sat down across from them, leaning his head on his palm. He was deep in distress and had no idea what to do next.

"So... is she... going to be okay?" Hayner asked. Roxas just shrugged.

"If there's anything that you or Kairi need, we're here." Olette reassured him.

"...Thanks, guys..."

o.o.o

Sora put his plate into the sink, slipped on some gloves and began washing the dishes.

"Thank you!" Rinoa exclaimed from the table. "Why can't Leon be more like you? He never washes the dishes!"

Sora grinned and looked out the window. "Actually, I have to _thank_ you both... for not telling anyone that I've been here... especially my mother..."

"Are you kidding me? Your mom would flip." Leon said.

"I know."

Once Sora was done with the dishes, he went into his room. His suitcase and a few things were scattered across the floor; he was still in the process of organizing it so that he could leave. Sora sat down on the floor and picked his stuff up. As he lifted up some shorts that he had, a piece of paper fell out of it and landed next to him. He held it in his hand, staring blankly into the picture of Kairi in front of him. A weird feeling tingled underneath his skin. He may have thought about her nearly every day, but he didn't dare look at any old pictures—until now. He was surprised that he still had it. Painful memories of that time arose. He threw the picture aside and just continued packing.

Leon appeared in the doorway with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wooden frame.

"You can't leave, Sora. You're still not ready."

"If not now, then when? I've been here for over a year." He said casually as he folded a shirt and placed it into his suitcase. "Besides, you and Aunt Rinoa have taught me so much. I have a pretty good basis of martial arts now... and I can cook something other than pancakes or mac n' cheese. I think I'm pretty set."

"But-"

Sora smiled at him and stood up. "I'll be okay."

"That's what amazes me about you. No matter what happens, you always seem to be optimistic. I don't know how you do it."

"Which is why you should have a little more faith in me." Sora said as he zipped his suitcase. He stepped on Kairi's picture as he pulled it over to the door. Whether it was intentional or not, he didn't really stop to think about it.

"So where will you go, then?" Leon questioned.

"I don't know. Back home, I guess. I'm sure Riku and Namine will be happy to see me."

"Yeah, no kidding." Leon agreed. Rinoa came up behind him.

"Sora, I baked you some goodies for your trip." She held up a bag of cookies.

"Junk food, Rinoa? Really?" Leon rolled his eyes.

"Hey! I like junk food!" Sora gladly took it from her. "Thanks... so much."

"You be careful out there, ya hear?" Rinoa told him, "And don't forget... you are strong."

Sora nodded. "Right."

"Well, then... I guess you should get going." Rinoa stated, a little sadness apparent in her voice.

"Yup. I'll call you when I get a new phone."

As Sora left, Rinoa and Leon stood at the door and watched him.

"Thought you were not going to let him go." Rinoa teased, nudging his arm.

"You know we can't control him. But you do have to admit, at least he's a million times better than he was when he appeared on our doorstep last year."

"That's true."

"Guess we'll just have to see what becomes of him now."

o.o.o

**A/N:** I had to put a little background before bringing Sora back! Now that I've introduced everyone that I needed to as well as some of their own problems, things can really get going. Yay!

Vanitas will actually be an important character. I will try my best to fit him into the story so that it still flows. It's a challenge but I love it!

_OTHER UPDATES:_  
OMG YOU GUYS! I watched the episode of Nashville tonight. My scene was in the last 15 seconds. I watched that entire episode. WTF. It was when that girl was singing at the end and Juliette was watching the news, then you see her picture burning in the fire. I was right behind the reporter. I need to watch it again!

Well,

still got dat money! XD

BY THE WAY! (hyper) Do you like the cover? I made it! Whee!

**Leave a sparkly review and maybe Sora will share his cookies.**


	8. Breaking Inside

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Eight

o.o.o

_"I don't wanna fall and say I lost it all  
'cause baby there's a part of me that hit the wall  
Leavin' pieces of me behind  
And I feel like I'm breaking inside..."  
_  
o.o.o

Vanitas sat in his car for several hours.

Obviously he didn't do a good job. Obviously he couldn't keep her with him.

Images of controlling her appeared in his mind; he closed his eyes and let them flow. Kairi's suffering... her cries... her begging... it filled him with ecstasy. He longed for it again. She was hypnotic... astounding...

He could clearly remember his father and how he would abuse his mother day in and day out. To Vanitas, this was a normal thing. His mother was so much under his father's control that she would do anything for him and Vanitas could only imagine how that made his father feel. His father taught him that all women were weak; that they should serve their men. He took it to heart and truly believed it. He was twisted, demented...

_'Does Kairi remind me of her...?'_

o.o.o

Sora arrived on Destiny Islands for the first time in a year. He clutched his arm. Right before the train crashed, it was permanently injured as he tried to escape. Every now and then he would feel pain, but it was bearable.

At that time, he almost wanted to go down with the train.

But right before the explosion, something clicked inside.

Losing his life then would have been pathetic. He never anticipated the after effects, though.

Over the past year, Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Leon took him into their small house on the edge of Traverse Town as if he was their own and did so much for him. He couldn't thank them enough for everything they had done. He felt stronger than ever in many ways, however, the memories remained. Sora may have had more confidence in himself with certain things, but the entire concept of love was shattered for him and he didn't trust any girl that came along. They were all the same in his eyes.

There was no such thing as romantic love.

Not that he got out much, anyway. Sora basically became a recluse and it took a long time for them to crack his shell. He had put up a wall between him and others and refused to be around anyone other than his aunt and uncle. That happy-go-lucky attitude he used to be known for was nearly gone and if any of his friends saw him they would hardly even recognize him. Even though he would laugh and joke with them from time to time, the truth was... underneath it all...

Coming back here so soon probably wasn't a good idea, but Sora didn't have anywhere else to go. He passed the apartment that they shared.

He stopped and looked up at the window where their room used to be.

_'Is she still there...?'_

It all happened right under his nose.

If it happened once, it would have hurt but he probably would have been able to move past it. Twice? Alright... that would have been harder but he might have been able to overlook it considering how much he loved her... as long as she was truly regretful. But no, it happened multiple times for weeks, months? He didn't know. Then she would turn around and tell him she loved him. It was sickening.

But _why_...?

The worst part was that she couldn't even tell him, thus, breaking his trust completely.

_'AND she got pregnant... on top of everything else...'_

Sora knew that it must have been devastating to lose the unborn child, kind of believed that she deserved it.

But Sora had to stay strong and keep moving forward. Even if nothing was going right, he had to pretend like nothing was wrong. He had to leave the past behind him.

Easier said than done.

He bought a new cell phone. After activating it, he dialed Riku's number. He knew that they weren't living in their apartment anymore; Riku was so intent on buying a family home. As it rang, Sora wondered how Riku would react to him being gone so long. Would he be mad at him for not contacting anyone?

Riku answered after the fourth ring.

o.o.o

Kairi stayed in bed for the entire day. Roxas had to force her to eat just so she wouldn't pass out. She would only throw it up later, but he had to do something. He considered going to the police about this, but he couldn't leave her side.  
Olette brought some green tea into the room and set it on the nightstand.

"Thanks, Olette." Roxas said. He had been watching Kairi from the desk chair for hours.

"Take a break. I'll stay with her for a little bit." Olette gestured for him to get up. Roxas resisted, but decided to let her. He needed to get some fresh air, anyway. Olette took his place and he left the room. Hayner was working, so the rest of the apartment was dark and somewhat peaceful. However, his mind was anything but.

Whatever that guy did, Roxas swore that he would beat him the second he found him. He didn't care about going to jail, or even if he _accidentally_ killed him. He would sacrifice anything so that Kairi could live a decent life. No matter what the circumstances were, Kairi deserved so much better.

He put on his jacket and walked outside. The cold breeze was refreshing and it calmed him. Originally, he hoped to bring Kairi here to his hometown and live happily ever after. But that just wasn't the case. It was like things got worse every day.

Yet he still loved her more than anything.

In a way, living for Kairi was a good thing, but it also had drawbacks. Roxas never thought of himself anymore. He was constantly on the edge. Would she hurt herself today? Would someone else hurt her? Would he be able to protect her? He already failed at that once, but no more...

But she just wasn't the same anymore...

o.o.o

Kairi's eyes were open, but she didn't say or do anything. She was so pale and sick looking—Olette thought.

_'How does Roxas deal with this...?'_

No matter how many times Kairi bathed, no matter how many times she tried to forget, the pain from what he did would not go away. She was losing the will to live as each day went by. In her mind, she had nobody. She lost the one person that she should have held onto the most because of her own selfish antics. What was the point? She didn't have a reason to live anymore.

_'Sora... is never coming back...'_

...she didn't _have to_ live anymore, right?

Kairi shot up and tried to get out of the bed. Caught off guard, Olette was unsure of what she was doing. She thought that Kairi was running to the bathroom, but she was wrong. Kairi rushed into the kitchen and searched for a knife. Olette screamed and grabbed her.

"KAIRI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP!"

"Get off! I'm tired... of... this life! Just let me go!"

Roxas busted open the front door and quickly went and held Kairi back; he was able to successfully restrain her and prevent her from doing anything.

_'She's trying to do it again...'_

He knew that he needed to get her professional help... especially after this.

But where would he even start?

Olette was hyperventilating in the corner. Kairi had stopped trying to fight Roxas and just gave up on even holding herself up. Roxas stayed on the floor with her.

"S-S-She's... insane!" Olette ran out of the kitchen. They heard her bedroom door slam.

"Kairi... please... don't do this..." Tears rolled down Roxas' face, "...I love you.. so much..."

o.o.o

**A/N:** -deep breath- PHEW.  
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

I hate to say that it could get worse o.o

Regardless! I love reading your comments!

I had to listen to a lot of "dark" music to write this chapter.  
Looks like I'll have to find more. Suggestions?

NOTE about the rating:  
I'm still undecided about this. It depends on things that happen in later chapters. I know I can pull off a "T" rating, but "M?" Not sure...  
We'll see!


	9. A Bittersweet Reunion

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Nine

o.o.o

Riku answered the phone. He hated it when unknown numbers called him, but he wasn't doing anything in particular at the moment.

"Hey, Riku?"

"...Who is this?" Riku questioned; he felt like he had heard this voice somewhere before.

"It's me. Yo."

_'Yo...?'_

"Me... who?"

"Uhh, your best friend," he chuckled, "Sora."

Riku dropped the phone.

"Hello?" Sora heard the dial tone. "Hmm... I'll call back."

Riku heard his phone buzzing once again. Shaking, he could hardly believe what he just heard. _'Is this some sort of cruel joke?!'_ He quickly picked up the call in fury.

"Who are you? That's fucked up!"

"Whoa, Riku! Calm down!" Sora said. "It's me, really!"

It was quiet.

"Hello?" Sora said again.

"...Sora?"

"That's me. Can you meet me at the pier in twenty minutes? You can bring Namine and Ken too."

Riku hung up without responding. _'What... the hell...?'_

Namine appeared. "Who was that?"

The astounded look on Riku's face confused her. He stayed on the couch for a few moments, trying to register in his mind what just happened. A text came in.

_"I'll be here waiting."_

o.o.o

Kairi lay on the kitchen floor, worn out from all of the trouble that she caused from her own depression. Roxas sat near her, one arm wrested on his knee and the other leg stretched out. It had been quiet for several hours; he wanted to move her but he figured leaving her be for now was the best thing.

This wasn't the first time that she tried killing herself.

In a way, Roxas thought that she didn't _really_ want to die—but it was more-so a call for help.

He was doing everything that he possibly could, yet it had no effect on her.

Olette must have gone to sleep, because she didn't come out for the rest of the night. That was it—he couldn't put his friends through this anymore. Hayner barely even came home on time anymore if he knew that Kairi would be there. Olette must have felt terrible. He was ruining their relationship for his own selfish need to take care of this girl. But yet, he still had to make a living. He still needed to get out of the house for his own sanity, but he couldn't. Leaving Kairi by herself was very dangerous, obviously.

Regardless, he didn't want to be a burden to others anymore. This was his own choice.

The kitchen floor was cold on Kairi's pale face. It didn't matter, though. She knew how pitiful she must have looked, but she didn't care.

She reminisced memories of her and Sora. _'Why did I have to go astray? He was so much in love with me... he treated me right even when he wasn't physically there...'_

_'Why was I so... weak? Why couldn't I just say no...?'_

If she could have just said that one simple word, she would still be with him now. They would be engaged, married, whatever. She would be happy.

_'You don't know what you have until it's gone...'_

o.o.o

Riku and Namine drove up to the pier where this guy that claimed to be "Sora" was.

"Stay in the car. I'll check it out." He said, glancing back at their two year old before getting out. The sun was setting in the distance. There was someone standing at the edge of the pier, watching the ocean. Riku took a few steps forward. As he got closer, the outline of the guy became clearer. Spiky hair, semi-tall and skinny, baggy pants...

Before he was able to inspect further, the guy turned around.

Those... eyes...

That smile...

Riku tugged on his cheeks. "Is it... really...?"

"Hey!" Sora pulled back, but understood his friend's actions.

"Oh... my God..." Namine said in shock as she stood there holding Ken's hand.

"SORA!" Riku tackled him. They both fell into the water, but that didn't stop Riku from clinging to him.

"Alright, alright!" Sora was finally able to get his best friend off of him. They both walked onto the shore, drenched. Namine was still amazed at what was happening.

"Sora...! How... did you...?!" Riku was at a loss for words. 

Sora just laughed, knowing that Riku knew about the train crash. (Maybe he shouldn't be laughing, but he was just glad that they were happy to see him).

"Sora, everyone thought... you were..." Namine trailed off.

His expression changed to a serious one. "I know."

Riku's mouth gaped open, but nothing came out. Namine spoke instead.

"Why... didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell us where you were at least?"

Sora shrugged and stared at the ground. "I guess... I didn't want to be found."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

Sora shook his head and smiled at them. "It's nothing, really."

"Nothing?!" Namine was getting all worked up, "Sora, there was even a memorial service for you! Everyone thought you were dead!"

"It must have been for the best." He said nonchalantly.

Riku gave him a strange look. "You've changed..."

"For better... or worse? Who knows?" Sora just kept smiling. Namine and Riku didn't know what to think.

o.o.o

As Vanitas was getting out of his car to go inside for the night, he spotted something on the floor on the passenger's side. Picking it up, he realized it was a wallet—not just _any_ wallet, but Kairi's. He opened it. His eyes widened at the amount of cash she kept; probably tips from her job.

"Six hundred and thirty... five..." He counted. After he was done, he put the money in his own wallet. "What's hers is mine." 

He continued to browse through the wallet. She had a hostess card. Vanitas gave it a disgusted look; she looked just like a doll. He hated the over-glamorous types, but he knew what she looked like underneath all of that makeup. He came across her driver's license as well as another ID.

"Kairi Hikari... age 26. Birthday, July 12th..."

There was her address, but it was for a place called Destiny Islands.

"Apartment... B?"

And then... there it was.

A picture of Kairi with the guy she must have mistaken him for. This guy was almost a clone to Vanitas, he thought, with the exception of the hair, eyes and a bright smile. She had several pictures of him deep in her wallet, all dated with a small heart at the end.

"She pretty much grew up with this guy..." He said as he looked at the pictures. Some dated back to when he would have been in high school.

That's when he had a brilliantly evil idea.

"Such a twisted turn of events..." Vanitas said, examining the picture more closely. "If I could look like him... act like him... then maybe..."

Maybe he could get Kairi back.

It was so heinous, but he loved it. Even though he didn't like the thought of changing his hair, it was sort of eerie that he looked so much like this guy.

_'What a wonderful coincidence...'_ he thought to himself, grinning.

Tomorrow was a new day and Vanitas had a feeling that it would be a great one. He went inside his dark, empty house, threw her wallet on the kitchen table and went to bed.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N: ** Did anyone spot the KH reference(s)?

Thank you all so much for all of your support. I love writing this and I'm glad you're enjoying it. I see so many views to each chapter and I'm thankful for the handful of you that still say something in almost every chapter. It really gives me the motivation to keep writing.

-HASHTAGheartfeltstuff-

Have a great day! 


	10. I'm Your Fool

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Ten

o.o.o

After a nice long shower, Sora finally joined the married couple for dinner. Namine agreed that he could stay with them for a while in their new, two-story home, complete with a basement area where Sora could sleep. Namine also wouldn't mind a little help around there, especially with Ken. Riku still worked nights at the club and they were very well off, but Namine had also started a work at home job in her own personal office. Sora didn't mind watching Ken, of course. He still loved children.

Since Riku had to be at work around six, Namine always prepared dinner early. She took the beef roast out of the oven and measured the temperature as Sora made some mashed potatoes. Riku was getting ready for work in the bathroom. Ken played with some blocks on the floor.

"He's grown a lot." Sora said, watching him as he finished mixing the potatoes. He set the lid on the pot and went over to the child, making funny faces at him. "We're going to be best buds, now, kiddo." Sora grinned. Ken just stared at him for a moment, but then busted out crying.

"Sorry, he's at that age..." Namine said, "You know, the terrible two's..."

"I'm not worried about it." Sora picked up the child and went over to the glass door that led out into the backyard. Ken squirmed in his arms as he tried to calm him down. "Hey! Look!" Sora pointed outside. Namine set up bird feeders not long ago and there were birds all around them. She also had a small fountain that the birds were drinking out of. This distracted Ken's fake cries and he watched intently.

"See? Your Uncle Sora's not _that_ bad."

"Sora, are you sure that you don't mind being a babysitter for a while?" Namine asked.

"It's no problem!" Sora grinned at her. "Besides, you're letting me stay here. I think it's very fair."

Riku walked into the room; his hair still wet. Seeing Sora with his son was refreshing. He always felt bad for not being around when Namine needed him and he knew that Sora wasn't exactly making up for his mistakes, but at least it was something.

Sora put Ken down and helped set the table. Namine gave him an appreciative look. She couldn't understand why Kairi did what she did. Speaking of Kairi, he hadn't said a word about her. Riku also wanted to ask how he felt now, but they both decided to keep their mouths shut for the time being.

"Let's eat!" Sora said as he clapped his hands together excitedly.

o.o.o

The next day, Vanitas woke up bright and early. He was consumed with this idea and couldn't wait. With Kairi's money in hand, he made his way out to the mall, which was nearly thirty minutes away.

He arrived right when the mall was opening and everyone was still setting up. Not knowing where anything was, he checked the map. Vanitas had never been to a salon in his life. He would have done it by himself, but he didn't know anything about hair dying.

The girls at the salon were still cleaning and setting up when he walked in. The gave him weird looks. Vanitas didn't care; he just went over to one of the chairs and sat down.

"May... we help you, Sir?" One of the girls came up behind him.

"I want my hair dyed."

"Uh... what color?" She asked, staring at his black locks.

"Like this." He pulled out the picture of Sora.

"So... brown?" Her voice was a little sketchy. "Sir, you do realize that we will have to bleach-"

"WHATEVER! Make it happen!" He demanded, alerting the girl. She got to work immediately. The other stylists just watched; unsure of what to do about the weird guy.

"I'm... going to let you know, this will take a while. First we have to bleach your hair... and then the hair dye will have to be left on for at least thirty minutes..." the girl explained to him, but he didn't care about the details. All he cared about was Kairi.

It ended up taking two hours. Vanitas looked at his hair in the mirror; it was a little darker than he wanted, but it will do.

Next—his eyes.

When the people at the Vision center told him that he would have to make an appointment for an eye exam, he nearly flipped out on them.

"I can't just get checked now?"

"I'm sorry, Sir... but we're all booked for today. You can set up an appointment-"

"Find a way to squeeze me in, or _else_." He threatened, giving her a very convincing glare. The girl at the counter panicked and started looking for a time slot.

"T-There's an... opening at 2:30... that's the... best... I-I can do..."

"Great." He slammed his hand on the counter. "I'll be back."

Vanitas searched for "brighter" clothes. He really hated shopping, but in order for his plan to work, he had to completely change everything about himself. Even though he didn't know much about this guy, he was sure that it wasn't that hard. Kairi was a crazy, delusional girl. Doing this would be easy.

Once everything was done, Vanitas looked at himself in his rear view mirror. His aqua-blue contacts, his dark brown hair... he was even wearing a white T-shirt. Although he didn't like the way that he looked, that didn't matter as long as he got what he wanted.

He knew the address that he found on Kairi's ID was an older one. Now he had to figure out how to find her...

The only place he knew of was the hostess bar. For the next few days, he decided he would stick around the club and wait for her to appear. She was bound to turn up eventually.

o.o.o

Xion and Ienzo were shopping for some groceries with Ayaka that day. Xion was a health freak now, so she only picked up vegetables and things with lots of protein. Ienzo, on the other hand, wanted junk food, but Xion didn't let him.

"Xion?"

They turned around. Xion's eyes widened. "A-Axel?!"

"Oh my goodness! It's been _forever_!" Axel hugged her without her consent. "And... Ienzo, right?"

"Umm..." Ienzo eyed him.

Axel spotted the young girl in the cart. "Whoa! Who is _this_?!"

"Um! She's... my friend's kid. I'm babysitting." Xion covered, hoping Axel wouldn't say anything.

"She's so cute! What's her name?"

"Ayaka."

"Even cuter! Hey, didn't you sleep with Roxas a while back?"

Xion's eyes widened and her face went crimson red. "N-No! We didn't!"

"Oh, well she kinda looks like him." Axel said, shrugging.

"It's... not mine..."

Ienzo glared at Xion.

After Axel was done admiring the baby, he turned to them and said, "By the way,.have you seen him?"

Xion's nerves spiked, but she kept her composure. "I-I haven't."

"Damn. Oh well. Anyway, I've gotta go. Catch ya later!"

"B-Bye..."

o.o.o

A few days went by without any incidents. Roxas just let Kairi do her own thing, but he was starting to get impatient. He wanted to spend more time with her and make her happy, so he offered to take her out, but she just refused every time.

"That's it." Roxas stopped what he was doing and went into their room where Kairi lay in bed. It wasn't healthy for her to do this, especially for days. She needed to get out and get some exercise. Roxas pulled out some clothes for her and threw them on the bed. "Get up. We're going out."

"I don't want to." She said immediately after.

"You don't have a choice right now."

"Who are you? My father?"

Roxas sighed and leaned on the dresser with his arms crossed. He tried to hold back his irritation, but this has been building up for a long time. It was always like this. He was tired of it.

But yet, if he forced her, should would scream. So he had to find a way to convince her that this was the best thing for her at the moment.

"Let's go over to Sunset Hill. Maybe watching the sunset will calm you down."

Kairi did not want to go out. Vanitas could be anywhere.

It was as if he was reading her mind, because he said, "I will protect you, no matter what. Now let's go."

Kairi's muscles ached from being bedridden for so long. She knew that Roxas meant well, but it hurt just to get up. Her back was the worst. Roxas helped her out of the bed and even assisted her in getting dressed. Kairi felt a little bad for her behavior around him. He only wanted the best for her and she acted like a complete—

Once she was ready to go, Kairi reached for her purse and they walked out together. Roxas was surprised that she actually agreed to get out of the house. She had trouble getting down the stairs, but Roxas supported her every step of the way. Although Kairi appreciated what he was doing for her, she didn't really know how to show it and just stayed quiet. Maybe Roxas _did_ deserve a little more credit.

But even though she was feeling guilty about all of this, she just couldn't forget the fact that she was still filled with pain and regret. Being with Roxas—the one she cheated on Sora with was like writing her own death wish. It made it seem like Sora died in vain, yet she couldn't stay away from him. Without Roxas, she _would_ be dead right now, but she figured that it was only a matter of time. After everything that has happened, Kairi's will to live had diminished and she was hanging by a thread. The way she acted at work and home may have been completely opposite, but she didn't know how things would go when she returned to work. She would always be looking over her shoulder.

They arrived at Sunset Hill. Normally, Roxas would go up to the tower for relaxation, but bringing Kairi—who would probably take the opportunity to jump at any given moment—would have not been the best idea. At least the hill had a fence. It may not have been much of one, but it made him feel a little safer. He took Kairi's hand in his and they went over to the fountain and sat down.

He would not let go of her hand.

The sky was a mixture of pink, purple, yellow and orange. Kairi thought it was pretty, but she didn't say anything; just watched. Roxas went back and forth from her to the sky.

_'I wonder what she's thinking about...'_

There was no telling.

Roxas was right, though. This was a great place to calm her nerves. Kairi felt more peaceful now than she had in a very long time, even if it was only temporary.

_'Is Sora watching from up there...?'_ Kairi pondered. The sky always reminded her of Sora these days. Normally she would start crying, but it was just so beautiful. It almost felt like she was the only one there, but that quickly disintegrated because of Roxas' touch.

His touch...

It wasn't soft like Sora's, but it still had that caring feeling. That one time where he grabbed her was still fresh on her mind, but since then he had done everything he could to make up for it.

Just being here with Kairi made Roxas happy; as if they had finally taken one step forward, but he wondered how long it would last. However, he decided that he would just enjoy it while he could.

"This... is nice..." Kairi said quietly.

Roxas was content right now.

_'Maybe I can make her smile...'_

A true smile from Kairi would be the best gift she could give at this point.

The sun set in the distance. They watched it together; Roxas had his arm around her shoulder now without any complaints from Kairi. This was seriously the best day he has had in a long time.

But all good things come to an end.

Kairi looked through her purse for her wallet. After a few minutes of searching, she realized that it wasn't in there. She mentally retraced her steps; she didn't remember even touching her purse back at home.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked with growing concern.

"M-My... wallet..."

Roxas tried to recall a time where he had seen it, but he couldn't. "It's not in there?"

"No!" She yelled and started to panic. Roxas tried to hold her close and comfort her, but it was too late. Kairi was already checking her surroundings in fear.

"W-What if... _he has it_?!"

"Who? That guy?!" Roxas stayed near her, ready to counter any sudden movements.

"Roxas... he has my wallet... he knows my name... he knows where I live..." Kairi started shaking uncontrollably. Roxas held her in his arms.

"You probably just misplaced it at home... everything will be fine..." He tried to reassure her, but it didn't help. "Or maybe you left it at work. We can call Aqua..."

"NO!" Kairi shrieked. She pushed him off of her and ran towards his car. The door wouldn't open because it was locked. Roxas hurried and unlocked it for her and she got inside and curled up in her seat. They went straight home.

It was nowhere to be found.

o.o.o

**A/N:** I've been trying to make these chapters longer!

_Other updates_:  
The KH Fanfiction Facebook page is doing a lot better! If you haven't liked the page yet, go do it! (Well, you don't HAVE to... but...)

**Please review!**


	11. Backfired

**A/N: **So... I kind of already had this chapter written, that's why you're like, WHAT? TWO UPDATES IN ONE DAY? Umm... yeah... this is rare... anyway, enjoy!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Eleven

o.o.o

Vanitas went to the bar in search of Kairi. It was amazing how quickly these people forgot that he was actually banned from here, but as long as they didn't notice, that was fine for him. He was accompanied by Shiki, whom was skanky in his opinion. She drank way more than he did and just laughed the entire time.

It had been nearly a week since he got this new "look," but he hadn't seen Kairi once.

Kairi, on the other hand, actually was coming back to work that night; she was just a little late. Her reluctance to come was part of it, as well as Roxas' reluctance to bring her. They came to a compromise, however. If Roxas could stay there with her, he might feel a little better even if he did have to watch her with other men. They loaded into his car and made their way downtown.

Roxas didn't understand why Kairi wouldn't just quit. Sure, the money was good but was it really worth it?

They parked in the back where only employees were allowed. Roxas stayed close to her as they went inside; he almost felt like a bodyguard walking next to such a beautiful girl. Just before they entered the building, Roxas looked up and saw the new billboard. Kairi's picture was there.

"Oh, looks like they put it up..." Kairi said in a worried tone, "...oh well..."

Roxas put his hands on her shoulders. "Just remember to go in there and do your best. I won't let anything happen to you..." afterward, he pulled Kairi closer to him and hugged her. She hesitated, but for the first time in a long time, hugged him back.

"T-Thanks..."

o.o.o

Aqua was surprised to see Kairi back so soon. Terra observed them over at the bar. As Aqua took Kairi to the back to get her dressed and ready, Roxas joined Terra. This was his first time actually being inside the club. Some girls came up to him and tried to take him back to a table, but he kindly refused.

"It's definitely a place to get used to." Terra said as he shined some wine glasses and set them neatly on the counter.

"I really don't want Kairi to work here..."

Terra shrugged and poured him a glass of red wine. "I don't like seeing Aqua with everyone all the time, but I trust her."

"That's _you_."

Vanitas noticed the blonde haired boy over at the bar. _'Isn't that... that guy that's with her?'_

He knew that Kairi might fall for it, but not this guy.

"I'm going to the bathroom." He told Shiki as he got up. He maneuvered past the mixture of hostesses, customers and butlers swiftly, but right before he reached the bathroom, he ran into one of the girls carrying a bottle of whiskey. She dropped the bottle and it shattered onto the floor. Everyone looked in the direction of the commotion.

"Oh... no..." The girl whined. Instead of getting upset like he normally would and knowing all of the attention was on him, Vanitas went to get a broom and a mop.

_'Do it for Kairi... do it for Kairi...'_

The truth was, he just wanted to punch the closest thing to him.

But no—he had to keep his cool and not mess anything up.

While he was at it, he placed Kairi's wallet near the wardrobe room on the way back.

Roxas noticed something fishy about the guy and he got up to take a closer look. The dim-ness in the club didn't help much, but he had to check it out anyway. Kairi and Aqua came out of the wardrobe room to see what was going on. She looked down and noticed her wallet on the table next to the room.

"I found it! Aqua, has it been here the entire time?"

"Found what?" Aqua saw Kairi holding her wallet and then shrugged.

Vanitas glanced up as he picked the pieces of the glass off of the floor; a few butlers came to help him. The girl he ran into kept apologizing. He could see Kairi behind Aqua going through her wallet. He only used about $200 of her money, but put the rest back thinking she wouldn't remember. He smiled at the girl (with all of his might) and accepted her apology.

"Don't worry about it."

Roxas was close enough by now to see him clearly. Vanitas quickly turned and walked back to his table.

"Alright! Nothing to see here, everyone." Aqua said, breaking Roxas' focus. The crowd dispersed.

"Roxas, look! It was here the entire time..." Kairi sighed in relief.

"Oh, that's great." Roxas said halfheartedly. He looked back over in that guy's direction.

Vanitas knew that Roxas was burning holes in his back, but he tried to play it cool as Shiki returned to the table.

"I'm glad that the whiskey didn't get on your clothes!" She told him. "That would have been a bummer."

"Haha... yeah..."

Kairi didn't seem to notice him for the entire night; she was off in another part of the club. But Vanitas knew exactly where she was, what she was doing and what she was saying. Aqua made sure to explain to her regulars that Kairi was taking it easy on drinks for a few days, but she would be back in no time. They didn't seem to mind; they just enjoyed looking at her pretty face. Roxas watched from afar as Kairi put on a fake smile for them. It was heartbreaking.

Getting impatient, Vanitas needed to avert Kairi's attention and somehow get her over to him. He smiled politely at Shiki and asked, "Is Kairi here tonight? Actually, I'm... an old friend of hers... and... I came to see her."

"Now that I think about it, I do remember her saying something about a guy named Sora... but..." Shiki gave him a concerned look, "I don't mean to be rude, but... I thought... _Sora_ was dead..."

_'Dead...?'_

Shit.

Vanitas didn't know this. The guy he was trying to portray was apparently no longer living?!

He had to come up with something—fast.

"Well... that's why I came here. I have a _lot_ of explaining to do... and I would like to talk with her... if that's okay..."

Shiki wasn't sure what to say, but eventually she got up. "I'll go and get her."

Now Vanitas _really_ had to think—how would he explain something he didn't know about? If this _Sora_ guy was dead, how did he die? What were the circumstances?

_'I guess that explains why Kairi is so crazy...'_

Kairi was chatting with the customers when Shiki arrived. "Hey, boys! Mind if I steal Kairi for a moment?" The guys just stared at her in awe. She pulled Kairi aside and whispered into her ear. Roxas watched them.

"S-Sora? That's impossible!" Kairi yelled. "No... it's just... that guy... that's stalking me!"

"What?!" Roxas ran over to her and guarded her. "Where is he?!"

"He said that he has a lot of explaining to do... or something." Shiki clarified.

"I don't want to hear it! Roxas, let's go... please..."

"Gladly!" Roxas grabbed her hand and took her around to the back.

Now was the time for Vanitas to make his move. He hurried after them.

"Kairi! Wait!"

"He's coming!" Kairi panicked. Roxas had to get her to safety, but he also wanted to beat this guy to a pulp. They entered the parking lot and ran towards Roxas' car. Vanitas was closing in on them. Kairi jumped into the back seat and hid, locking the doors. Roxas faced the Sora clone.

"It's me... your friend..." Vanitas was just winging it. Okay, maybe he should have thought this through a little more.

"You're not-" Roxas stammered, looking at this guy's face; his hair...

_'I'm imagining this, right?!'_

No. It was some sort of trick.

This would have been a good time for Vanitas to know his name, but he just didn't. Instead, he used a different tactic.

"I'm sorry for making you think that I was dead!"

Roxas' eyes widened. Kairi lifted up in the back seat in shock.

"T-That's... a lie... you're not Sora!"

"I am! I wanted to tell Kairi that I miss her... and that I'm really sorry!"

_'He... misses... me...'_

"Why, you-!" Roxas charged at him, only to be thrown to the ground on impact. Roxas, however was able to fight Vanitas off of him and punch him in the face.

_'Sora... misses me... Sora's... alive...'_

"You twisted freak!" Roxas screamed as he punched him over and over. "You're not Sora! I know my best friend when I see him!"

And then it hit Roxas like a brick wall.

Did he really just claim that Sora was his best friend?

More specifically, his delayed reaction gave Vanitas a chance to hit him. Roxas fell to the ground. Vanitas was about to run over to the car, but Roxas grabbed his foot and he fell over. Terra, Aqua and a few others found them and stopped the fight.

Kairi sat in a daze in the back seat, watching everything transpire. Aqua knocked frantically on her window, causing her to snap out of it. She opened the door and Aqua hugged her immediately.

"This guy should be killed!" Roxas yelled, trying to get out of Terra's grasp.

Vanitas glared at him. This guy was going to be more trouble than he anticipated.

Police sirens were heard. This made Vanitas run in the other direction. A few of the security guards chased after him, but he had disappeared.

"Let go of me, damn it!" Roxas broke free from Terra's grip. He rushed over to Kairi, who was still trying to figure out what was happening. "Kairi, are you alright?!"

"Roxas..."

"Oh my God..." He held her tightly.

"Roxas..." She repeated; he looked into her eyes. "Was that... Sora?"

Roxas' mouth gaped open in shock. "N-No! Of course not!"

Aqua placed her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "I'm very sorry to do this, but..." she took a deep breath, "...don't take it personally... Kairi, you're fired."

"Huh?!" Kairi gave Aqua a terrified look. "N-No! I can do this! Really!"

Aqua shook her head. "It's too dangerous to come here. Terra and Roxas agree with me. It would be best if you skipped town..."

"Thanks, Aqua." Roxas said to her, much to Kairi's dismay.

"Kairi, get a normal job... you're so much better than this."

"Aqua... why...?" Kairi cried, but it didn't phase her.

"I think it's time that we move back to the Islands." Roxas determined.

"Right." Terra nodded in agreement. "Keep in touch, okay?"

"No! I don't want to go there!" Kairi yelled, but no one would listen.

The police pulled up to the scene and began asking everyone questions. Only Kairi knew the guy's name, but she was having trouble saying it.

"Van... Van..."

"Vanitas?" The policeman asked. She nodded quickly. He sighed. "Not again..."

"Again?" Everyone said in unison. They wouldn't get their explanation, though.

o.o.o

Vanitas ran as fast as he could down the street. He could still hear the police sirens echoing in the distance. He couldn't go back to jail. He hated it there.

Also, he just felt stupid now for changing his appearance. If only Roxas wasn't there... it probably would have worked in his favor...

"DAMN IT!"

Now he had to figure out another way.

His obsession with her was insane. He could barely understand it himself.

Once he finally felt like things had calmed down, he got a taxi and went home.

o.o.o

Roxas was restless the entire ride back to the apartment. Kairi couldn't believe that she lost her job.

"What... am I going to do now...?"

"It's like I said... we're moving back home."

"No! We _can't_! Anywhere but there! Please!"

He understood that if Kairi went back to the Islands she would constantly be reminded of Sora, but that didn't really change the way things were now. His top priority was to keep her safe. If they left town, there would at least be a higher chance of doing that. Whoever this Vanitas guy was—whatever he wanted with Kairi—he wasn't going to get it.

Roxas opened the door to Hayner and Olette's apartment. They were already in bed. In truth, Roxas wanted to leave right away, but he was too tired. He decided to wait until tomorrow to pack. He got into the bed with Kairi, who seemed like she was already asleep and held her for the rest of the night.

o.o.o

o.o.o

Leave **lovely reviews**, will ya?

Who thinks Vanitas is stupid? ME!

Peace out!


	12. Vermillion

**A/N:** So... all of those HORRIBLE things I was planning for this story, I just cut the majority of them. There will still be some, but not as much. Lol. But no worries! I will still make this story awesome!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twelve

o.o.o

_'Sora... where are you? I need you, Sora...'_

Kairi couldn't see more than two inches in front of her as she walked through the dark abyss. She could hear someone laughing—and it wasn't normal, either.

_'W-Who's there...? This isn't funny...'_

All of a sudden, she could feel herself falling. Kairi screamed and struggled, but it was like it never ended. She reached her hand out. Almost instantly, her surroundings changed and she was floating in the middle of a cloudless sky.

_'Sora... means... sky...'_

And then, once again, the sky turned to darkness and all she could see as she was plunged downwards were a set of yellow eyes.

o.o.o

Kairi woke up in a cold sweat, taking deep breaths. Roxas was still asleep and everything around her seemed normal, but she couldn't shake the terrified feeling she was having from that dream.

Those yellow eyes...

Did Vanitas _really_ alter his appearance to try and trick her?

Or was that... _really_ Sora?

No... it couldn't have been...

"Kairi...?" Roxas mumbled; his eyes half open. After a few moments, he lifted his head up and squinted at her. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm... fine..." Kairi laid back down. Roxas put his arm around her stomach and moved closer to her.

"Okay. I love you, Kairi."

She said nothing.

o.o.o

The next morning, Roxas made breakfast as usual. Kairi came into the kitchen and shyly sat down at the table. A little surprised, Roxas smiled at her.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"A... little..."

He set down a plate of bacon and eggs on the table and gave her a fork.

"Milk, orange juice, or... water?"

Kairi wasn't listening. She was still thinking about that dream.

Roxas waved his hand in her face. "Hello?"

"Oh! I'm sorry... what did you say?"

Roxas read her anxious expression and decided to pull up a chair. "Alright, what's the matter?"

"Huh? N-Nothing..."

"Come on..." Roxas gently nudged her. He was feeling a little more playful today and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because Kairi was actually being somewhat nice to him?

"Roxas..." her serious expression made him calm down a little.

"Yeah?"

"Do... we _really_... have to move?"

Roxas sighed. He pushed her hair back behind her ear so that he could see her face clearly and gave her a sympathetic look. He did say that in the heat of the moment, but he truly felt like moving was the right thing to do.

"If not the Islands, then where?"

"Somewhere new... like... Radiant Garden..."

"Kairi, even with your salary we can't afford anything over there." Roxas reasoned.

Kairi seemed to agree, because she just put her head down and sighed. "I really... can't go back..."

"I understand, but—"

"I don't think you do."

He could feel her getting irritated with him, but Roxas didn't back down.

"We can live on another side of the island. Surely you haven't been everywhere. It would be _like_ being somewhere new."

"You mean, the ghetto?"

Roxas shrugged. "I don't know." He took her hand in his. He really didn't want to fight, especially when things had been decent between them lately. "Don't worry, Kairi. Everything will be okay."

"I hate when people say that..." she responded instantly, throwing him off guard.

Roxas thought for a moment before choosing his words. "Well, anyway, we're moving. That's the end of it." He stood up and stretched, then walked out to calm himself down. He knew if he stayed in the room it would just start another fight. But strangely, Kairi didn't argue.

Later that night, Roxas went online and bought the one way tickets to Destiny Islands. Even he was a little iffy about going back; he wasn't really sure what he would do there.

It was for the best, though.

o.o.o

As soon as Roxas fell asleep, Kairi quietly sneaked out of bed. She didn't want to leave without seeing Aqua. She put on her pink jacket and tip toed outside. Even though she was a little afraid to go out at night by herself, she just wanted to go back to the club one last time. Kairi caught the bus and sat near the back; just staring out at the streets that she has lived on for over a year. It had definitely been quite a stressful year—not only for her, but she knew that Roxas was miserable too and she blamed herself for it. Maybe moving was a good idea after all; besides, she was getting tired of all of the pointless drinking. It was a nice escape for a while, but she just couldn't do it anymore.

The bus made a few stops; people came and went. _'How long is this ride?'_ her nervousness made her impatient; she felt like she was being watched even on the bus and started to regret coming out.

"This is the last stop. Are you getting off, or what?" The bus driver asked, parking.

"Oh... yes..." Kairi tried to prolong her time on the bus by taking smaller steps, but there was only so far that she could go. The bus driver took one last look at her. He noticed how sad she seemed to be, but brushed it off and drove away.

Kairi was left alone on the dark, empty street. The club was just one block over.

_'Alright... I can do this... I can make it...'_

o.o.o

Vanitas was at the bar across the street from the hostess bar with Seifer. He was going on about some girl that he met at another club, but all Vanitas could do was keep his eyes on the billboard outside.

"Are you listening, dude?"

All of a sudden, he saw her. Astounded at his apparent stroke of luck, Vanitas was mesmerized. Was this his second chance?

_Ding ding! _

Vanitas' eyes shifted over to his tipsy friend, who was still talking about whatever. He lightly tapped Seifer's shoulder, causing him to shut his mouth and pointed across the street.

"Is that... Kairi?" Seifer asked. Vanitas nodded eagerly, smirking.

"I need you to do me a little favor." Vanitas said.

"A favor?"

"I want you to invite Kairi out to Karaoke. I'm... too afraid to do it myself." He lied. Seifer gave him a strange look. "I'm sure she would do it for such a faithful customer..."

Seifer looked as if he was thinking really hard about it. "But... she doesn't work there anymore."

"What?"

"Yeah, she was fired last night."

"Regardless," Vanitas cleared his throat. He watched as Kairi went inside the club. "She's here now and she probably doesn't have any plans after whatever she's doing. Come on, you know you would love to hang out with her..."

Seifer blushed at the thought. "Well, yeah. Alright, I'll do it."

"Great. Meet me at the Karaoke Zone down the street, but don't tell her that I'm going to be there."

"Why not?" Seifer raised an eyebrow.

"Just do it!"

o.o.o

Sora turned off the light in Ken's room and kept the door cracked open a little. Riku came up to him in the hallway.

"He's asleep," Sora whispered.

"Alright, thanks."

Sora and Riku joined Namine in the TV room. She was watching the news. They sat down and chatted about random things. Sora was so glad that they were letting him stay here. He really had no idea what he would have done if he didn't find them.

"Can you believe how much we've grown?" Namine reminisced.

"Where did that come from?" Riku asked. She just shrugged and giggled.

Being with them made Sora forget all of the pain.

It wouldn't last long, however.

o.o.o

Seifer approached the club. Just as he walked in, he was greeted by a few girls. They all knew that he was Kairi's regular and gave him sympathetic looks before explaining what he already knew. However, he could see Kairi in the distance.

Kairi was waiting for Aqua at the bar, she was currently with a client. Terra was off tonight, so one of the hostesses was being the bartender for the time being.

"Hey!" Seifer came up to her and put his arm around her, causing her to jump. Once she realized it was Seifer, it was like her mood changed completely and she treated him just as she would if she was working.

"Seifer, how are you?" She smiled at him.

"Kairi... I heard you aren't working here anymore!" He complained.

"Yeah... I'm... moving."

"Moving? Where?"

Kairi didn't want to tell him, so she just said, "Radiant Garden... my grandmother lives there."

"Aww!" Seifer said, "well, when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"EH?!" Seifer thought for a moment; Vanitas was probably waiting on him. But why didn't he want him to tell Kairi about him?

"Seifer, are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah... um..." he rubbed the back of his head, "hey, do you want to... come to Karaoke Zone with me? You know, as sort of... a last goodbye... kind of thing."

Seifer was never really good with words.

"Oh, I really have to go home soon..." She looked over at Aqua, who was still entertaining the customer.

"Please? You can come back afterward... just sing one song with me..."

"Seifer, I really... can't..."

"Just one! I've spent thousands on you... you could at least do this for me..."

Kairi considered it in her mind; something was telling her that she shouldn't, but Seifer really was a good customer of hers. Besides, it wasn't like he was asking her to drink or anything...

But it still worried her—would it just be him and her?

"Please?" Seifer begged, grabbing both of her hands.

"Just do it," the girl playing bartender said. "I can tell Aqua that you'll be right back."

"Fine... _one_ song..."

o.o.o

Kairi followed Seifer down the street towards Karaoke Zone; a five story building with private karaoke rooms where people could sing, dance, eat and drink to their heart's content. Vanitas saw them coming towards him, but he didn't want Kairi to see him just yet. He got a room, told the person at the counter that they were joining him and went upstairs to wait for them. He took a seat on the couch in the room. A semi-automatic pistol was tucked underneath his shirt. He was going to be prepared this time.

Kairi and Seifer walked up to the counter. The man told them their room was upstairs. Seifer was surprised that he didn't have to pay, that Vanitas must have already done so. This also confused Kairi; she had a bad feeling, but yet she continued behind him.

They reached the room that Vanitas was patiently waiting in. Seifer smiled at Kairi and opened the door.

Just before they walked inside, Seifer raised both arms up in shock. Kairi was too short to see over him.

"Don't make any sudden movements." Vanitas pointed the gun right in Seifer's face.

"W-W-What the... Hell?!" Seifer's eyes widened with fear. Kairi was able to look past him.

Her scream caused the gun to go off. She didn't stick around to see what happened. Kairi bolted down the stairs. He was here. He was going to kill her. He was going to...

She knew she shouldn't have come.

Kairi ran as fast as she could, but it wasn't good enough. She felt a hand wrap over her mouth. All of a sudden, she felt extremely drowsy. Vanitas put the gun away and carried her back to his car. Everyone was already freaking out from all of the commotion. Kairi passed out.

Vanitas sped off into the moonlight.

o.o.o

Namine was the only one that was still awake by the time the ten o'clock news came on. Sora and Riku were sprawled out on the floor; they were playing a game of monopoly and somehow that wore them out. Namine's eyes glanced back at the television.

_'This just in from Twilight Town. A man has been shot and killed at a karaoke bar in the red light district just moments ago. We believe the shooter to be the long time fugitive, Vanitas Spar.'_

A picture of the guy appeared on the screen. Namine dropped the controller. She immediately woke Sora and Riku up.

"Guys! Look at this!"

"Huh?" Sora looked at the TV. "What is it?"

_'Witnesses say that they saw him carrying a girl into his car. We could have a kidnapping on our hands. Vanitas Spar is armed and dangerous.'_

"He looks... like..."

"Don't say it..." Sora interrupted, still shocked himself at the similarities.

_'We have the name of the girl. I repeat, we have the name of the girl.'_

Sora, Riku and Namine watched in anticipation.

_'Kairi Hikari, 26, left the Twilight Garden hostess bar with a customer.' _The scene changed to in front of the bar. The billboard shone in the background. _'She was the number eight cabaret girl here at this club, but just yesterday she was fired from her job. All we know now is she went over to Karaoke Zone, which was where the shooting and kidnapping happened.'_

Nobody said a word.

o.o.o

**A/N:** Well that escalated quickly, ne?

_Other Updates_  
You should look up "Sora's band feat. Riku" on Youtube. This video makes my life complete.

**Please review!**


	13. A Familiar Taste of Poison

**A/N: **So! I've decided to split this story into two parts. Part one has a few chapters left, and then part two will have around the same amount of chapters as the first one. Meaning—we're only half way through the story!

Anyway, enjoy... well...

o.o.o****

Follow Me Home

Chapter Thirteen

o.o.o

Riku and Namine looked over at Sora for some sort of reaction; Sora was frozen. His mind was racing; nothing made sense to him.

"First of all, how could she be a cabaret girl?" Riku questioned, "Was she not affected at all by-"

Namine nudged him, urging him to be quiet. Sora just stared at the screen. They showed Kairi's hostess picture where she was covered in makeup with a fancy hairstyle. They claimed that they were trying to get a regular picture of her, but time was slow.

It went to commercials.

Sora never thought he would ever be in a situation like this. He stood up and went over to the glass door. Sliding it open, he walked outside and looked up at the full moon. Riku followed.

"So... what are you going to do?" Riku asked.

Sora didn't respond for a moment; he was still wondering that himself. Even though he knew that this was something that he would have to act quickly on, he was still held back by past incidents.

"Guys, it's Roxas!" Namine called from inside.

o.o.o

Roxas appeared in front of the club where a crowd was gathered. The news reporters were still going on about the incident at Karaoke Zone and police were inspecting the area for any clues. Roxas wanted to go and help the police, but was stopped by one of the interviewers. They put a camera in his face and began asking him questions.

"Sir, do you know the girl that has been kidnapped?"

_'Argh... I don't have time for this...'_

"Yes, she's my girlfriend." 

The interviewers immediately called over the main reporter. Roxas wanted to run away, but they came over at lightning speed.

"Sir, what's your name?" The reporter asked eagerly.

"...Roxas."

"And you said that Kairi Hikari was your girlfriend?"

"Yes, and I really need to-"

"What can you tell us about her? Anything would help the investigation."

"Umm... well..." Roxas took a picture of Kairi out of his wallet and showed it to them. The camera zoomed in on it; it was a picture from the year before, one of the decent selfies that she sent him. She was smiling.

Roxas wanted to wrap this up, so he said in a frustrated voice, "This guy... Vanitas... he's been stalking Kairi ever since he met her! He's absolutely crazy! He's already hurt her once... I love Kairi more than life itself and I will not stand around, so if you _don't mind_, I need to go and find her!"

He bolted away from them. He had no idea where to start, but he wasn't going to give up.

_'Why does Kairi always do this? Why...?!'_

o.o.o

Xion had heard all of the commotion and sirens from the Family Mart. She turned on the TV and watched the news.

_'Roxas...'_

o.o.o

Sora's eyes averted from the screen. "Well, there you have it."

"Sora..." Namine said worriedly.

"She's _his_ problem now."

"But still..."

Sora got up and went over to the door the led to the basement. He put his hand on the knob. "I'm going to bed now."

"Maybe you should... go and check it out..." Riku blurted out, surprising both of them.

"I don't want to," Sora replied instantly. He opened the door and went downstairs. Once he got to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped. He was having conflicted feelings and it was driving him crazy.

_'Kairi is... in trouble...'_

_'No, I won't be swayed... she didn't care about me...'_

'But... she's...'

_'No, Sora... you can't let her do this to you...'_

'But what if he's... hurting her... like Roxas said...?'

'What if he... kills... her..?'

No matter how much Sora tried to deny it in his mind, he knew he still had lingering feelings for the only girl he had ever loved. She may have done the worst thing possible to him, but he felt like he still had an obligation to her, despite all of the thoughts he had put in his head over the past year. The fact that she was apparently still with Roxas really set him off, though. Even if she did believe that he was dead, he really thought that he meant more to her than that, even after she cheated on him.

Despite everything, he didn't want Kairi to be in pain. He didn't want her... to...

In a split second decision, Sora rushed out the back door and towards the station.

o.o.o

Kairi woke up. The morning sky was above her. The grass tickled her skin and she realized that she did not recognize this place. She shot up. There was a lake in the distance and what seemed like an endless field the other way.

"About time you woke up." Vanitas said behind her.

Kairi freaked out and jumped to her feet. Vanitas smirked and immediately grabbed her. "That wasn't _very nice_ what you did to me the other day..."

"Stop! Let go of me!"

"Did you really think that I was going to let you get away with that?" He pushed her down onto the ground. "Look at your surroundings... nobody can hear you scream out here..."

Before she could respond, Vanitas jumped on top of her and began ripping her clothes. Kairi cried and screamed, but that quickly stopped when he punched her right in the jaw. The taste of blood made her queasy and the pain was excruciating.

"You have _no more_ rights! I will tell you what to do, when to do it, how to do it and you will obey! Do you understand me?!" Vanitas yelled.

_'This is it... my life is over...'_

_'I never should have left the house... I should have done what Roxas told me to do...'_

'Roxas... I'm... so... sorry...'

She was slapped in the face once again for not responding. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted to die.

"ANSWER ME!"

Kairi choked on the blood that had built up in her mouth. Vanitas was getting more and more frustrated. He proceeded to rip off her clothes and have his way with her. Kairi cried her eyes out.

Even though she was letting him do what he wanted, he still felt like he wasn't in control. He pushed Kairi over and got off of her. "You stupid bitch!" He kicked her side. She yelped in pain.

The cold air lingered over her body. Vanitas walked away and left her there; naked and freezing. She hugged herself, but of course it didn't help her much. She reached for her jacket, but it was too far away. She could barely move. He had de-humanized her to a lifeless rag doll that he could just throw around and abuse. The entire day went like this. Actually, Kairi wasn't really keeping track of time.

She had left her phone in her jacket pocket, but she had no idea where she was. Vanitas was watching her every move.

She didn't know why, but she wanted to hear Roxas' voice...

Kairi crawled over to her jacket with all of the strength that she had. Vanitas had turned his head for one moment. She pressed number two speed dial on her phone and just let it ring in her pocket. If she could get a hold of Roxas, even indirectly like this, maybe she still had a chance...

"What are you doing, you whore?" Vanitas stomped over to her. Luckily, he didn't notice anything about the jacket, except that she must have been trying to get it to wrap herself with.

"Vanitas..." she tried to speak loud enough so that the phone caught it, "what is this place...?"

"Oh, you want to be _cute_, now, eh?" Vanitas grabbed her by the arm and picked her up. "Since you'll never see anywhere else, I guess it's fair to tell you... but you'll have to do something for me first."

"Do.. what?"

"Beg for it."

Kairi gave him a terrified look. "For... what...?"

"You want to know the name of this place? Beg."

Kairi hoped that Roxas had answered and was hearing this. For the sake of that, she decided to do what he said. Her knees touched the frosty ground and she bended over in a bowing position. She shivered from the cold, but she had to do this. Her jacket was only about a foot away, so as long as she spoke loudly enough...

She knew that if Vanitas found out, he would probably drown her in the lake...

But it was a chance that she had to take...

Besides, he wasn't exactly the _brightest_ person around...

For a reason that she didn't know, she was still holding on...

o.o.o

Sora had come to Twilight Town so many times in the past that he knew it like the back of his hand. However, his only clue was the club downtown. _Someone_ must have seen her...

He noticed posters of that wanted man all over town. He just couldn't believe that this guy looked so much like him. This may cause problems for him, however.

When he arrived at Twilight Garden, there were still people walking around and inspecting the place. Sora stayed hidden. He could hardly believe that Kairi actually worked at a place like this. It didn't seem like her at all, then again...

She had been surprising him a lot lately.

He got close enough to hear what the police were talking about.

"He lives out in the countryside, in his late parent's old home."

"He's been in and out of jail since he was a teenager."

"What for?"

"Assault... robberies... the list goes on."

"Wasn't his father also a part of the mafia or something?"

"I'm not sure."

Sora took in everything that they were saying. It sounded like Kairi was in a lot of trouble...

"If I remember correctly, his parents were assassinated as a punishment for his father refusing to follow his boss' orders."

"Is that so?"

The officers walked off in the other direction.

"The countryside... eh?"

o.o.o

Roxas held his phone to his ear. His hand was shaking and he could barely keep his composure.

He could hear her... crying... begging...

_"Please tell me the name... of this place!"_

That's when Roxas realized—Kairi was doing this on purpose...

_"You want to know the name? How much do you want to know?"_

"More than... anything..."

"Say that you love me!"

__He heard Kairi gasp. It was quiet for a few seconds, but those few seconds felt like a lifetime.

_"I... love... you..."_

"Good girl. I... suppose I'll tell you."

Roxas cringed at her words, but continued to listen.

_"It's called Crystal Lake. This is your new home."_

Roxas knew exactly where that was.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Some of you are wondering why Vanitas is even in this story.

I have a reason for everything that I do, even if I don't know it at first! (Does that make any sense?)

So uhh... all I have to say is... shit's about to get real.

**Review!**


	14. A Will to Live

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Fourteen

o.o.o

_'You can take everything I have...  
You can break everything I am...  
like I'm made of glass... like I'm made of paper...  
Go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground  
like a skyscraper..._

o.o.o

Kairi could hear the dial tone next to her as she lay helpless on the ground. Vanitas had just finished kicking her countless times for whatever screwed up reason and was off somewhere that she didn't know. Kairi couldn't lift her head; she couldn't move her body. She was powerless in all aspects and Roxas was her last hope.

However, it also worried her greatly. Vanitas would not hesitate to shoot him upon arrival... and who knows what he will do to her afterward.

_'I have... to believe... in him... it's all... that I have... left...'_

_'He will come for me... he... will...'_

This new-found hope was surprising considering the circumstances. Even when she was diminished to a mere object, she was able to hold on.

_'But... why...?'_

The cold didn't bother her anymore; it was more so the pain that she had endured. Physically, she felt as if she would faint at any moment—and then he would kick and punch her until she woke up again. But why was Vanitas doing this to her in the first place? Why did he want her so badly? This—Kairi could not figure out, nor was she sure if she even wanted to know. He just came out of nowhere—this _Sora_ clone... and already he was obsessed with her? He gained satisfaction through control... just like any abuser would... and he almost made her feel like she was nothing. In the beginning, Kairi thought that this was just some cruel form of punishment for what she had done, but now it had gotten so out of hand that she was losing grasp of reality.

But yet... she really _didn't_ want to die...

She didn't want her life to be reduced to such torture...

What she did was terrible... but why must she suffer like this?

What was the point?

She loved Sora more than ever, even after his death, so wasn't that _enough_? Couldn't she be forgiven if she _truly_ asked for it?

Was it because she stayed with Roxas, even if she wasn't in love with him?

Kairi respected Roxas as a person and appreciated everything he did for her. That was all there was to it... and yet...

...she put her life on the line just to see if he would come.

In that case, if she truly believed in him... that must have meant...

...that he was no longer just a caretaker... that he was... more than that...

He was more to her than just words could explain... it was not as simple as it seemed...

He has come to her rescue so many times...

_'Roxas... please... hurry...'_

o.o.o

Roxas jumped into his car and hurried towards the countryside. He had no idea how fast he was going, nor did he care. His main objective was to save Kairi and that was what he was going to do. The road seemed to go on forever, he thought, only making him go even faster. As he approached a red light, he fought with himself on whether to stop for it, but that decision was made as soon as he spotted a huge Semi truck turning in front of him. He slammed on the breaks and stopped just in time.

Roxas flung forward, but his seat belt held him back from hitting the window. He held the steering wheel in anticipation and impatiently waited for the semi to pass by. It wasn't like it was taking an incredibly long time, but Roxas was tied for time.

The semi truck passed and Roxas was about to start driving again, but he couldn't. A pedestrian was crossing the street from his left. Furious, Roxas honked his horn at the person. He put down his window and yelled at him. The guy turned his head. Blue eyes shined in the sunlight. Roxas' eyes widened. Sora couldn't tell what was going on at first.

_'It's... him...'_

_'Why is he... out... here... and where is...'_

Without thinking, Roxas jumped out of his car and charged at him. Sora successfully dodged his attack.

"Y-YOU! WHERE IS SHE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Filled with rage, Roxas swung his fists at Sora. Sora blocked every hit.

_'Roxas...'_ Sora finally realized what was happening. Roxas tried to knock him down, but Sora kept moving away from him. He didn't want to hurt Roxas.

"ARGH, FIGHT BACK!"

"Okay." Sora swiftly struck Roxas in the neck. He dropped to the ground and clutched where Sora hit him.

"DAMN... YOU..." Roxas tried grabbing his foot, but Sora jumped to the left.

Sora knew that he must have thought he was that other guy. He couldn't figure out how to stop Roxas from fighting, however.

Roxas lay in the middle of the street. Sora knelt down and examined his face; he hoped he didn't hurt him _too badly_. Roxas could feel him bearing over him, but the sunlight was strong and his outline was dark. Roxas extended his leg out and tried to kick him, but Sora grabbed it and held onto it.

"Roxas, you need to calm down." 

"You have no right to tell me what to do!" He got up and swung at him again. Sora took Roxas' arm and twisted it behind his back. Roxas cried out in pain. Sora held onto his arm and wrapped his other across his chest to stop him from moving.

"Roxas! I'm not who you think I am!"

"You... imposter! I'm not falling for your tricks!" Roxas tried to break free, but now Sora was significantly stronger than he was.

"Listen to me! Kairi is in danger and we have to save her!"

"What are you talking about?!" Roxas grunted, "You're the reason she's-"

A car approached them in the distance. Sora noticed this, but he didn't move just yet. In the one moment that he was distracted, Roxas was able to break away from him and punch him. Sora was knocked a few steps back, but he held his ground. The car wasn't stopping and Roxas was right there in its path. He didn't seem to notice it coming, either. Sora had to do something or Roxas would be run over...

Sora jumped forward, grabbed Roxas by the arm and pulled him out of the way just in time. They both rolled on the ground. Sora felt his arm hurting again; he used his weak one to grab him, but it was still successful so it was okay to him.

"Who... who... are you...?" Roxas could clearly see his face now. Sora looked over at him, but then looked away. He didn't want to be found out this way. He actually didn't want to even be in this situation at all. This encounter was purely by chance... wasn't it?

Roxas realized that this guy wasn't fighting him or even doing anything hostile. Vanitas would have tried to kill him... but this guy... he just say there and took deep breaths... as if he was tired...

"We're wasting time." Sora said to him. "Kairi needs... us..." he hesitated on _'us,'_ he really wanted to say _'you'_ to him, but that was what came out.

"You... you're not..." Roxas was still trying to register in his mind what he was seeing. He _looked like_ Sora... he _acted like_ Sora... but then again, Vanitas tried doing the same thing the other night... for all he knew, this could very well be Vanitas...

But no... something was different... something was more... _pure_...

"Roxas!" Sora yelled, "Kairi needs our help! Now get up! You said it yourself... you will protect her at all costs, right?!"

"B-But... you... you can't be... here..."

Sora walked over to the car and got into the passenger's seat. Roxas was frozen—this was impossible. Was Sora really... here right now?

Was he really sitting there?

Did he really just try to fight him...?

"HURRY UP!" Sora called out, making Roxas come to his senses.

If this was really happening, then he was right—they didn't have any time to lose...

_'But... how...? How did he...?'_

Roxas got into the driver's seat and put his hands on the wheel. He couldn't look over at him. This wasn't real...

"Step on it!" Sora demanded. Panicked, Roxas' foot pressed the gas and the car sped down the road.

_'This can't... be... true...'_

They were only ten minutes away.

o.o.o

Kairi managed to put her jacket on, but was still naked from the waist down. She could barely sit let alone stand. Her hands took refuge in her pockets; she held onto her phone tightly.

Vanitas made a fire just a few feet away, but forbid her to come near it. 

He finally had a woman in his life—one he could do whatever he wanted to. Little did he know that his ignorance would send him on a downward spiral...

_'Into hell...'_ Kairi absolutely loathed him and she had every reason to. She had never felt this much hate for a person in her life. She wanted him to burn in the fire for what he had done to her... it would be a rightful punishment in her opinion... if she even had the right to think about that.

Even if Roxas didn't come... she had the courage now to do whatever it took to not only to escape, but to hurt him as much, if not more than he hurt her.

The fact that he _killed_ Seifer on the spot... as soon as he opened that door, was sickening. Only maniacs do such things...

However, despite all of her rage, she still felt like she would never be the same again...

Vanitas watched her from the warmth of the fire. This made him feel as if he was above her as she struggled to get over there. He was on top of the world. Was this the way his father felt when he would do these things to his mother? It must have been amazing for him like it was for Vanitas now...

_'Maybe I should play with her some more...'_

Vanitas stood up and started taking a few steps towards Kairi. All of her rage disbanded and was replaced with terror. What was he going to do now?

"Stand up."

Given her current condition, that was impossible. But knowing Vanitas, he lived for other people's reactions.  
"Ignoring me?"

Before she was able to do anything, he kicked her in her side once again. "I said get up!"

Kairi's arms wobbled as she lifted herself up. The pain was killing her, but she kept trying. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She had to do this. She had to show him that she wasn't going to succumb to his evil ways...

But the pain was too much. Her face hit the ground and all she could do was cry. She didn't have the strength...

"You're not going to do it, huh?"

She could feel herself giving in... the cold may not have mentally bothered her, but physically it was taking its toll on her body. She lay there... completely helpless...

"Argh..." Vanitas was just about to grab her when he heard something behind him.

"KAIRI!"

_'That... voice...'_

_'He's... here...'_

Kairi was out. 

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Welp, all I have to say is, please leave a **review** and have a wonderful night! 


	15. If You Only Knew

**A/N:** I back track a few moments at the beginning of this chapter, so don't be like, what the heck? :P

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Fifteen

o.o.o

Roxas drove down the road; his nerves were through the roof. There was way too much going on right now and he was having trouble taking it all in at once. Kairi's in trouble, Sora's sitting next to him... he wanted to ask him a million questions, but no words were coming out.

Sora, on the other hand was just staring blatantly ahead and focusing on the road. He didn't show it, but he was also a little anxious for what was about to happen; he really didn't want Kairi to see him and was trying to figure out how to do this without that happening. He turned to Roxas, who could barely even compose himself. He was about to say something, but he couldn't. He wouldn't be able to come up with a plan until he actually saw what was going on.

Roxas turned onto a dirt road that led straight out to the lake. Sora was surprised at how calm Roxas was able to be in the midst of everything. He knew that would change the moment he saw Kairi, however. They were coming up to the lake. Some smoke was rising in the air from a fire. As they got closer, they could see the outline of what looked like Vanitas. In front of him, Kairi lay there, and from what he could see—she wasn't moving. Roxas immediately stopped the car. Right before he got out, Sora grabbed his arm.

"Listen to me."

"What are you doing? Don't you see her?!"

"I want you to get Kairi out of here and take her to the closest hospital. I will hold off the freak."

"No way! I'm going to kill him!"

"Roxas!" Sora yelled; his seriousness piercing through Roxas' skin, "We don't have time for you to play _hero_! Besides, you couldn't even hit me! That guy has a _gun_. You must get Kairi to safety!"

As much as Roxas hated to admit it, Sora was right. Kairi was the top priority. "...Fine... but let's hurry..." He quickly got out of the car. Sora hesitated for a moment. Unbeknownst to Roxas, he dialed 911, told them the location and what was going on and then hung up.

_'Here we go...'_

"KAIRI!" Roxas yelled, rushing towards them. Vanitas heard him and turned around.

"How did you-" He was cut off by Roxas' sudden tackle. Sora got out of the car and face palmed.

"So much for the plan... argh..." He ran over to them. He saw Kairi half naked, laying there. _'This... can't be happening...'_ His blood boiling, he pushed Roxas off of Vanitas. "Get her out of here, now!"

Roxas obeyed his command. Sora picked Vanitas up and threw him a few feet over. Roxas couldn't believe the condition that Kairi was in. He immediately took off his jacket and covered her other half. Roxas picked her up and held her, unable to take his eyes away. She was so cold...

"Damn it, Roxas! Hurry up!"

Roxas rushed to the car and put Kairi in the back seat. He wished he had some blankets or something to cover her, but the best he could do was turn on the heat. He sped off, leaving Sora there to fight Vanitas. As much as he wanted to do that himself, Kairi was more important.

Vanitas sprung to his feet after being thrown around. He faced Sora.

"Well... well..." Vanitas smirked, "If it isn't-"

"Save the introductions. Why are you doing this to Kairi?" Sora watched him closely; he was ready to counter any attack. If there was one thing that Leon taught him, it was to never let his guard down.

"No particular reason." He said nonchalantly, "Just something fun to do."

Sora gave him a disgusted look. Vanitas smirked in response. Sora watched as his hand moved to his belt, where he was probably keeping the gun. Not willing to take any chances, Sora immediately ran towards him and knocked him over with a quick blow to his knees. He then snatched the gun from him and threw it straight into the lake.

"Only cowards use guns!" Sora lifted him up by the collar and used his weak arm to brutally punch him in the face multiple times. He was surprised at how _weak_ this guy was; he didn't even land one punch on Sora. Vanitas' nose and mouth started to bleed. "People like you don't deserve to _live_! And on top of that, why are you trying to be _me_, huh?" One of Vanitas' blue contacts fell out. Sora realized this and poked his other eye, causing him to scream in pain. He then slammed Vanitas' face onto the ground and stood over him, burying his foot into the back of his neck. Vanitas could hardly breathe. Sora grabbed both of his arms and twisted them. He pulled them over to the side, still keeping his foot in tact. Vanitas cried out and begged for him to stop.

"Ahh! Okay! I'm sorry! I give... up!"

"You're a lowlife scum..." Sora proceeded to stretch Vanitas' arms all the way to the ground next to his side; he could have sworn he heard something snap, but he didn't care. He kicked Vanitas in the head as hard as he could and stepped away from him. Police sirens were heard in the distance.

"That should do it..."

Once Sora confirmed that Vanitas was indeed immobile, he ran off into the woods to hide. He climbed up a tree and sat there, resting and trying to calm himself down. He had never been so angry in his life—nor did he think he would ever have to do something like this. He was always so nice and innocent... but yet he just left someone for dead in the middle of the grass below him. He definitely over analyzed the situation; thinking he was going to get an actual fight out of this guy that has apparently been torturing Kairi for weeks. In a way, he was disappointed.

Vanitas could hear the sirens, but he couldn't get up. He was in the most terrible pain of his life. What hurt even more, however, was his pride.

_'This must be all Kairi's fault...'_

The police pointed guns at him. "Put your hands in the air!"

But Vanitas couldn't. He just lay there. They cautiously approached him and once they deemed it to be safe enough, the policeman grabbed his arms and locked them in handcuffs. It took two officers just to lift him and drag him over to their car.

"You are under arrest for the suspicion of murder, kidnapping and god knows what else... you have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will..."

Sora listened from above. He felt that justice was served.

_'Should I go over to the hospital...?'_

He did want to get a closer look at Kairi, but he didn't know if he had the motivation to actually go through with it. Sora sat there and pondered for a while. The police were searching the area. The last thing he wanted was to be seen and questioned.

_'I guess... I'll go...'_

o.o.o

Roxas rushed into the hospital for the nurse's assistance. They grabbed blankets and a stretcher and put her on it. Roxas wanted to follow, but he knew that they wouldn't let him even if he tried. He also wondered how Sora was doing... since when did he know how to fight?

_'Will Sora even come here...?'_

_'If Kairi found out that he was alive... she would...'_

_'No... she can't... because if he rejects her... she really __would__ kill herself...'_

So many thoughts were rushing through Roxas' head. Once again, he was at a loss on what to do. He got it in his mind that he was nothing but a burden to Kairi; that he never really helped her at all. For God sakes, she was beaten by this guy and Roxas had to depend on Sora to get rid of him? It wasn't Sora's battle to fight...

Right?

And what if Sora wasn't there?

Roxas didn't really doubt that he could beat Vanitas; the guy was a complete dumb ass. However, how could someone like this dig so deep into Kairi's psyche, even if he did look like Sora? He had no idea what Kairi would be like after all of this... and he had no way to prepare for it either. How did Sora feel about it? Roxas was driving himself crazy once again. He wanted to do the right thing... he wanted to help Kairi but he didn't know if he could anymore...

Sora walked into the waiting room; his hands resting in his pockets, his hood over his head and his blue jacket partially zipped. Roxas noticed him right away and ran over to him, hoping for details.

Now that he was able to relax a little more, Sora was reminded of what Roxas had done to him. He wanted to ignore him, but he knew that Roxas wouldn't leave him alone until he gave him some sort of confirmation on what happened to that crazy bastard.

"He was arrested." Sora said simply. "Where's Kairi?"

Roxas was taken aback by Sora's sudden question. Should he tell him? Even he hadn't seen her yet. What if... she was already awake...?

"I won't let her see me." Sora promised, but Roxas still felt a little uneasy about it.

"How are you going to do that?"

"Turn off the lights, duh."

As much as Roxas didn't want him to, he really didn't have the authority to stop him either. Sora did help him and Kairi out a lot...

Sora didn't stick around to wait for his approval anyway. He asked one of the nurses where Kairi was and she pointed down the hall. Sora walked slowly down the hallway; his heart beating wildly in his chest. He stood in front of the door and looked through the small window. The lights were already off and she looked like she was sleeping. Sora put his hand on the door handle and pulled it down. He hesitated before going in—he was getting second thoughts. However, he forced himself to take a few more steps.

Kairi's eyes were closed and she was still, so he assumed that she was indeed asleep. Sora stood over her bed; he was able to get a better view now. She had a black eye. Sora's fists tightened; he wondered what other wounds she had but they were covered by the blankets. Even though she did what she did to him, he still felt incredibly sorry for her. This was a girl that he had been in love with since middle school. He had shared so many memories with her, good and bad. He just couldn't understand what went wrong...

But at the same time, he felt anger. He felt betrayed...

Sora stood there for a few more minutes. Despite everything, this was the most serene that Sora has seen her in a very long time—then again, he hadn't seen her for over a year and then all of a sudden these things happened...

_'Was it... fate?'_

She squirmed around, making Sora immediately turn around. He paced towards the door.

"W-Wait..."

Sora stopped, but didn't turn to look at her.

"I wanted... to tell you... that..." she started coughing, but Sora tried his best not to run to her side. After a few more coughs, she resumed, "...right before... I felt like... everything was going to fade away... I... heard your voice..."

_'She... heard me?'_

"You... really saved me..." Kairi continued; her voice was low and appreciative, "...I wanted to say... thank you... Roxas..."

That name pierced through Sora's heart. He opened the door and went out. Roxas met him in the hallway.

"I think she wants you." He told him and kept walking down the hall.

"What?" Roxas stood there for a moment, confused, but then opened the door and went inside.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Oh my goodness... wonder what Sora will do about this?

Your reviews = fast updates,  
so,  
thank you everyone!

Have a great night!


	16. Misery Business

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Sixteen

o.o.o 

Vanitas was thrown into a jail cell; his hands still cuffed together. He heard the door shut and keys clanking. He lay there on the floor.

_'That... whore... did this to me...'_

"HEY!" The bars rattled. There were a few inmates outside of his cell yelling and throwing derogatory comments at him. One guy in particular was fuming; Vanitas almost thought he was going to break through the bars.

"I HEARD YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!"

"Rai, calm down..." Another inmate said to him, but he pushed him down.

"JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU GET OUT OF HERE... I'M GOING TO RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"

Vanitas didn't bother arguing with him. His mind was elsewhere. He could care less what that guy was saying.

All of a sudden, whistle sounds nearly killed their eardrums. All of the inmates got down on the floor and put their hands behind their backs. Rai looked over at Vanitas with the most deathly glare he could muster.

_'I'm breaking out of here the first chance I get... and then... I'll kill Roxas... Kairi... and Sora...'_

o.o.o

Roxas came up to Kairi's bed. Her vision was blurred and it was dark, so she could only make out the outline. Roxas hated seeing Kairi in the hospital, no matter what the situation.

"Is it okay if I turn on the lamp light?" Roxas asked her.

"Why did you walk out of the room?" Kairi asked; her voice was weak. 

"Huh? Oh... I was... telling the nurse something..." He lied. He was somewhat relieved. Roxas turned on the light.

Kairi tried to move her body, but it just hurt everywhere. She gritted her teeth and tried to force herself to roll onto her side, but the pain was unbearable. She cried out. This sent Roxas into a frenzy.

_'How can I... help her...?'_

They heard knocks on the door. A doctor walked in. He pulled Roxas aside.

"Police are outside. They're wanting to question her about what happened."

"No way." Roxas responded, looking over at her. She was still struggling to move. "Kairi's had more than enough. If they have questions, they can ask me."

"But..." a policeman poked his head in, "...it would be much better to hear from her... you know, for the investigation's sake."

"Then at least wait until she's feeling better!" Roxas said, heated. "Don't you have any consideration for people's feelings?" He turned towards the doctor, "What's your diagnosis? Is she going to be okay?"

"She was very close to developing hypothermia. I'm glad that you got to her when you did. She has cuts and bruises all over her body, though. As you can see, her eye has also taken a few hits. Those things will go away in due time, but... she will need your support. She was _very_ lucky... most battered women don't make it..."

"Kairi..." Roxas tried to hold his tears back.

"She can stay here tonight. I'll fill out the release papers in the morning."

"T-Thanks..." Roxas sniffled. The doctor shut the door. Roxas went back over to her. He took her hand in his and stayed there.

"I'm sorry, Roxas..." Kairi mustered, turning her head slightly.

"You don't have to be sorry... this is not your fault..."

"I... won't... disobey you anymore..."

_'Disobey...?'_

Roxas was alarmed at this word; had Vanitas put this in her head?

"You were right..." Kairi gave a faint smile, "...you were always right..."

"Kairi, please..."

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Once again, she became still and drifted off to sleep, not taking her hand away from his.

_'I guess she really didn't see him...'_

o.o.o

Sora entered the downtown area. People passed him left and right, going about their everyday lives; laughing with their friends, spending time with their families... and yet he was alone amongst the crowd. Sora had never felt so empty...

Part of his identity was lost the day he found out. He was lost. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. Everyone around him always seemed so happy. Even when his Aunt and Uncle would be close, it made him sick to his stomach. He used to have that loving feeling for another, but it was all destroyed in a matter of moments. As optimistic as he tried to be on the outside, he didn't know how much longer he could keep pretending.

As Sora passed all of the shops and nightlife clubs, he noticed a familiar looking girl in the Family Mart stocking the shelves in front of the window. Sitting at the booths on the other side of the door was Ienzo, with a baby girl in the seat next to him. Sora immediately went inside to check it out.

"Xion?"

Xion perked up and looked at him; shock flowed through her.

"It... is you!" Sora turned around and placed his gaze on Ienzo, who had stopped eating the ramen he had just bought. Sora felt a little awkward, but the baby girl was what really caught his attention. He instinctively went over to her and said, "She is adorable! Is she yours?" He gave Ienzo an expectant look.

"N-No! It's hers!" He pointed at Xion out of embarrassment. "I'm just waiting for her to get off of work!"

"Really?!" Sora gasped. "Xion, that's awesome! Who's the father?"

Xion shot a glare in Ienzo's direction. However, she was more confused at the fact that Sora was actually here. She heard that he had died as well and was trying to put the pieces together.

After her shift was over, Sora walked with them down the street to the apartment that they lived in. He took off his shoes and went inside after them.

"I'll tell you if you tell me," Xion said, taking a seat on the couch. "Fair?"

"Tell you what?" Sora raised his eyebrow.

"How you're here right now!"

"Oh, that's simple. Right before the train exploded, I was able to get away."

Xion was surprised at his casual way of speaking about it. "But _how_?"

Sora shrugged, "Pure luck? Now, tell me! Who is this precious little girl?" Sora picked her up and cradled her.

"Eh... well..."

"She had sex with Roxas. The result was Ayaka." Ienzo blurted out. He was tired of her hiding this. Xion gave him a 'i'm going to kill you' look. 

Sora's expression changed dramatically. "WHAT?!" Upon closer inspection, he did kind of see a resemblance...

"You can't tell anyone!" Xion took her child from his arms. Sora was too much in shock to say anything else. "I don't like him or anything!"

Sora felt like she was lying, but he held in his assumptions. "He... doesn't know?"

"She refuses to tell him for whatever strange reason." Ienzo said.

"IENZO, I'M GOING TO—" She was cut off by Ayaka's sudden crying.

Sora took a seat on the couch and tried to take everything in. _'Roxas has... a daughter...? When did this happen...? So that means... he cheated on Kairi?'_

A smirk crept up on his face; he couldn't help but laugh at this. Not at Xion, per se, but at Roxas and Kairi. She just _had_ to keep seeing him and then, in the end, he went off and did the same thing to her. This was the icing on the cake. Somehow, Sora felt so much better and he wasn't even sure if he even should. After calming down a little, he then became a little more serious. This little girl's father was a complete idiot.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." Sora said.

"Thanks..." Xion sighed in relief. "Anyway, I'm glad that you're okay."

"Motherhood has changed you some." Sora chuckled, "You were always so mean to me."

"Whatever..." 

"So, Sora... what are you doing now?" Ienzo asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I don't know if I should say, but I'm living with some friends back on the Islands for now. I was about to go home when I spotted you guys."

"Gotcha." Ienzo took a sip of water.

"So how often do people mistake you two for a couple?" Sora joked. Xion glared at him.

"Way too often..." she sighed once again.

Sora stayed over for about thirty more minutes. He came to the conclusion that he just needed to be around people—_good_ people—to feel better. He waved to them and went on his way.

He had no idea what to think about Kairi at this point. Part of him felt like she got what she deserved, but the other felt that no one—not even her—should have gone through such torture. She pretty much lost everything. Sora didn't know who she was anymore.

Then again, he didn't know himself either.

He was so conflicted with his feelings that the only way he knew how to deal with it was to just keep moving forward.

_'Whatever happens, happens...'_

o.o.o

Roxas pushed Kairi around in a wheelchair down the hallway. This was the fourth time he had circled that floor, but he didn't mind. Kairi held tightly onto the many blankets that covered her. People stared at her face as they walked by. They were probably thinking terrible things about Roxas, but he knew that they were wrong.

From now on, no matter what it took, Roxas was going to try even harder... even if he had to sacrifice himself in the process.

There was no turning back.

All of a sudden, Kairi busted out crying right in the middle of the hallway. Roxas panicked and went around to check on her; some nurses stood up from their desks and observed.

"Kairi, what's the matter? Kairi!" Without thinking, he placed his hands on her arms. She flinched and cried even louder.

"What's wrong with her?" A few nurses surrounded them.

"I... I don't know!"

He never knew.

He could never reach her.

Kairi was always unattainable.

"I... miss... Sora... so much..." Kairi sobbed, nearly choking on her words.

And that was why.

o.o.o

o.o.o

o.o.o

**End of Part One**

o.o.o

**A/N:** So like I said, I'm splitting this story into two parts. Part two may or may not be just a -little- more lighthearted than part one... but I'm not making any promises! So, folks! This means that we are half way through the story! What else could possibly be in store for our beloved characters that I've made you hate so much?

Since I'm not perfect, tell me something that you thought wasn't clear, that you want me to touch up on, or just a suggestion that you might have! I can mold this story into anything I want to, obviously, but you do have a say in it! Besides, maybe you have a great idea that I haven't thought of! Let me know in a **review**!

Remember, there's always a method to my madness. ;)

Thanks to EVERYONE that has been reviewing up to this point! I couldn't do this without your support!

By the way, I highly suggest that you look up "Voodoo Doll English sub" on Youtube. It's a great song!

Have a great day! 


	17. Starting Over

**Follow Me Home**

**Part Two**

Chapter Seventeen

o.o.o

_Tagline:_

_"Don't fall in love; goodbye will always come."_

o.o.o

Four, long months have gone by. Roxas and Kairi were back at the Islands. He rented an apartment on the other side of town called Sun Valley Apartments. They lived in a two bedroom condo up on the fifth floor. It had beautiful views of the ocean. Roxas figured that this would be good for Kairi; she needed a place to calm her nerves. Sometimes he left the sliding door that led out onto the balcony cracked open so they could hear the waves; it really put Kairi's mind and his at ease and set a romantic atmosphere... at least for him.

Roxas had finally decided to send Kairi to a therapist. She has been seeing Mrs. Lee for two and a half months now. Kairi used to have nightmares every single time she fell asleep; but ever since she started going to therapy they decreased substantially. She was also a little more used to Roxas touching her again; for the longest time she had been afraid of physical contact because of what happened to her. Roxas finally felt like he was helping her. Currently, he was waiting for her to come out of her session at any moment with a slight smile on her face as she kept her eyes planted on the ground in front of her.

She actually let him hold her last night.

It was a step in the right direction; one Roxas had been waiting for for a very long time. He knew that he could never replace Kairi's feelings for Sora; but maybe he could be just as special to her, if not more. He's been through everything with her up until this point. If she doesn't see how much he cares about her now, she probably never will understand the intensity of his devotion to her. There were times where he just wanted to give up, but then he remembered how much he fought for her and struggled just to keep her alive. It had to be worth it in the end, right? His mind was wrapped around this concept—that good will come out of this eventually. Someday he will get his redemption. Someday she will see him for who he really was. Someday she will love him too.

Someday...

Speaking of Sora, Roxas of course never told her about that day. (Not like she wanted to be reminded of it, anyway). If she found out that Sora was alive, she would leave him.

He couldn't handle that.

He has worked so hard for this.

Being back on the Islands did make Roxas a little paranoid; what if Sora just randomly showed up? What if she ran into him on the street?

Because of that, they didn't get out much. Kairi didn't really want to go anywhere, anyway.

However, her birthday was coming up. Roxas wanted to do something special for her.

Kairi was definitely happy with the warmer weather that she was used to. Even after Roxas found out that Sora was alive, this was one of the factors that convinced him to bring her back home. She had stopped arguing with him shortly after. It was like she became completely submissive and went along with whatever he said. (Touching was another story, however). This made Roxas feel a little guilty; this wasn't how Kairi used to be. They have barely argued about anything in the last four months. It was good, but at the same time it was a little weird.

Besides all of Kairi's nightmares and touching phobias, things have been pretty good between them.

But he knew that she would never forget what happened to her.

o.o.o

Roxas waited outside for her. Checking his watch, he noticed that it was already ten minutes past the time that her session was supposed to end. Roxas was about to get out of the car to check on her when he heard the door open and she came walking out. He sighed in relief and smiled.

"There you are." He said as she got inside. He leaned over to kiss her cheek, but she shyly pulled away; something he expected. Roxas wanted to do so many things with her—not just sexual—but he wanted to be able to kiss her and hold her hand. He needed that physical contact, but for now he would just have to be patient and cherish his time with her. The fact that she let him hold her the night before was nice, so he went with that and just started driving.

He wanted to ask her about the session, but he also didn't want to intrude. He really had no idea what went on during those meetings with Mrs. Lee; all he knew was that Kairi came out each time as a better person than before. That was enough confirmation for him.

"Hello?"

He saw Kairi answering her cell phone.

"Hey, Selphie. How are you?"

Roxas stopped at a red light and just listened to their conversation.

"Come down to the mall? Why?" She looked over at Roxas, who also looked confused. "Oh... Selphie, that's nice of you, but I don't know if I-"

"What is it?" Roxas interrupted.

"She said that she could get me a job at that Build a Bear place..."Kairi gave Roxas an expectant look. "She wants me to come and apply while her manager is there."

_'Is Kairi ready to start another job...?'_ Roxas thought to himself.

"I'll think about it, Selphie." Kairi said and hung up the phone. "We don't have to go."

Roxas pondered on this for a while; maybe it would be good for her to get out of the house. Besides, he figured that she wouldn't run into Sora at a place like that, so maybe it was worth a try. He got into the other lane and turned towards the mall.

"Roxas, we really-"

"Just apply. It can't hurt, right?" He said, smiling at her.

"...okay."

_'Okay? Okay...?'_

This was all she ever said.

Five minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot in front of the mall entrance. Kairi looked decent enough to apply for a job; she wore nice, dark wash jeans and a dressy-looking top (in Roxas' opinion). They walked together to the door. Kairi went to reach for it, but Roxas opened it for her and let her in first.

Chivalry wasn't dead.

Roxas refrained from wrapping his arm around her, even if it took all of his might to do so. She seemed placid and innocent; she looked so beautiful.

"Build a Bear is... this way." Roxas trotted off to his left with Kairi close behind. Kairi felt a little nervous; she was actually going through with this?

_'If Roxas thinks it's best, then I will try...'_

Kairi didn't really like large crowds anymore. They kid of scared her. She slightly touched Roxas' arm so that she could stay close to him. He looked down at her; he could tell that she was getting a little afraid. He leaned a little closer to her and said, "You can hold onto me. It's okay."

_'Maybe she's not ready... not for a job like this...'_ Roxas thought to himself, but just as he was about to change his mind about the whole thing, they were already in front of the store.

"Kairi!" Selphie exclaimed, "Come on in!"

Kairi looked up at Roxas, as if she was waiting for his approval. He urged her to go inside and just stood by the door and waited.

"It's been so long since I've seen you! Where have you been? How are you and-"

Roxas knew what she was about to ask, so he intervened immediately. "Everything has been great. Where's the application?"

Kairi put her head down. Selphie had no idea about anything that happened over the past year and a half.

"Here it is." Selphie handed it to her and gave her a pen. Children and their parents were all over the store. All of a sudden, Kairi felt terrible.

_'Why didn't I think more about this...? I can't be around kids...'_

_'No... I have to move on...'_

Roxas also felt a little bad about seeing parents with their children.

_'That could have been us...'_

This was a terrible idea.

Right before Roxas was about to stop her, Kairi was already filling out the application.

_'I can't put my most recent job history...'_ Kairi thought, knowing that her job as a hostess wouldn't fly over well in a place like this, so instead, she wrote that she was a hostess at a restaurant so that she didn't have to come up with a reason for a year long gap between jobs.

It was a lie, but she knew that she could get Aqua to cover for her.

After she was done, she gave her application back to Selphie. "I'll give this to my manager and put in a good word for you!"

"T-Thanks..."

"Want to meet her?"

"Umm..." Kairi really wasn't in the mood to act pleasant; she had forgotten how to use those skills from her previous job.

"Thanks, Selphie, but we should get going." Roxas told her, taking Kairi's hand in his.

Come on, this wouldn't hurt, right?

"When did you two start going out?" Selphie gave them a confused look.

"Bye now!" Roxas hurried Kairi out of the store so that she didn't have to face anymore uncomfortable questions. Once they got to the entrance of the mall, she faced him.

"Do you think I'll get the job...?"

"Of course." Roxas assured her; she almost sounded as if she wanted to work there.

_'But I don't know if you would be able to keep the job...'_

o.o.o

It was the morning of Kairi's birthday. Roxas woke up next to her, excited for what he had planned for the day. He hoped that Kairi would enjoy it as well, but right now she was still asleep. Roxas slowly crawled out of bed and got dressed.

_'Please let today go well...'_

He couldn't wait for her to wake up.

o.o.o

Namine knocked on the basement door; it was already the afternoon and she hadn't seen Sora at all that day. She had a few items on back order and had a lot of work to do and she needed him to watch Ken for her. After she didn't get a response, Namine walked down the stairs. She turned on the light. His bed was made, the TV was off and he was nowhere to be found.

"I wonder where he went..." Namine turned off the light and went back upstairs. Riku was still asleep from a long night before at the host club. Namine sighed and sat in her desk chair. Ken was watching TV, so maybe she could still get some things done.

Sora sat on the beach and looked out into the ocean. The waves brushed up against his feet. He knew that he probably should have told someone that he was going out, but he didn't think he would be out long. He just needed some fresh air. Today was particularly difficult for him.

_'Happy Birthday, Kairi...'_

He fell back in the sand and looked up at the sky. It was going to be a long day.

o.o.o

**A/N:** Please check my profile for updates!

And thanks to everyone who left a **review**. I really do appreciate it. Please continue to let me know what you think!

Have a great day!


	18. No Life After You

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Eighteen

o.o.o

_"All that I'm after is a life full of laughter, as long as I'm laughin' with you  
I think that all that still matters is love ever after  
After the life we've been through  
'Cause I know there's no life after you..."_

o.o.o

Roxas was making a mess in the kitchen with all of the fruits that he bought the night before; he figured that a fruit bouquet was perfect for her birthday, but he thought it would be a little easier to put it all together. He sliced the oranges thinly and set them aside. He tried his best to cut the cantaloupe into squares, but they weren't perfect. He stuck some strawberries on a stick and put them in the new vase he bought specifically for this masterpiece. Once he had everything cut and shaped the way he wanted, he arranged them into the pot and tried to make it look nice and organized so that it made an intricate design. He was satisfied with it—for the most part, but felt like it could be better. Kairi would appreciate it, anyhow. She loved fruit.

He set it in the fridge. It was almost one in the afternoon. Roxas really didn't expect for Kairi to be asleep this long, but since it was her birthday he was letting her. His main plans weren't until the evening anyway. He sat at the kitchen table. He wasn't going to mess today up.

"Hey, Roxas!" Axel came out of the bathroom. Roxas had completely forgotten that he was staying there. It was understandable on his part—Axel wasn't around much. The agreement was as along as he paid his portion of the rent, he had the right to the second bedroom.

"Oh, hey."

"She's not up yet?" Axel asked. He saw that Roxas was dressed particularly nice today. "What's the occasion?"

"It's her birthday."

"Oh, snap! Really? Damn, I didn't get her anything."

"You don't have to." Roxas said. "I've got it."

"Ohh..." Axel winked at him. "Gonna take her out?"

Roxas nodded, but shushed him. "It will be a surprise."

"Guess I should get outta here, then." Axel smirked. "Let me know when it's safe to come back, if you know what I mean."

"Hey, you never did that for me when you were with Larxene. It was like you two had no shame!" Roxas laughed. "Whatever happened to her, anyway?"

Axel stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned. "Well, she's with someone else now."

"Oh," Roxas' expression changed. "Sorry."

"It's whatever!" Axel smiled again and then went into his room. A few minutes after, Kairi finally came out to the kitchen, still dressed in her pajamas.

No matter what Kairi wore, in Roxas' opinion, she was beautiful. He stood up and greeted her. "Good morning, sunshine." He said, stretching his arms out to show her that he wanted to hug her. She slightly leaned forward, meaning that she was letting him. He wrapped his arms around her. "Happy Birthday."

"Is that what today is?" She asked in a low tone. Her hands were down by her sides.

"You forgot?" Roxas chuckled. She was so cute to him.

"That means... I'm twenty seven..." Kairi looked up at him. "I'm... old..."

"Hey, I'm twenty seven too. Remember? My birthday was in April."

"Was I a jerk that day?" Kairi asked.

Roxas shook his head. "You're never a jerk to me."

"Whatever." Kairi separated from him and went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Roxas watched her from the living room. So far, everything was going well.

Roxas was exactly three months older than Kairi, to the day. Sora was three months and four days older than him. 3, 3, 3. He was either in the middle or a third wheel.

o.o.o

_Flashback: 15 years ago, summer before 8__th__ grade._

Kairi and Roxas sat on the pier together. Her birthday was a few days away and she was really excited for it.

"I love the summer. Do you know why?" She asked him.

"That's obvious." Roxas laughed.

Kairi smiled and watched the sunset. Roxas loved being around her. He couldn't believe that he had been friends with her for nearly four years now. She was always so bright and innocent. At the time, he didn't really have the best life, but Kairi always lifted his mood. She was like an escape to him. She was his best friend.

But this particular summer changed everything.

"You know that guy, Sora?" Kairi asked shyly.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"I... think he's... kinda cute." Kairi blushed.

Roxas knew Sora way before Kairi did because their parents were good friends. His parents decided to move here to Destiny Islands when Roxas was in second grade to be closer to them. Now that his father's auto shop was doing well, he had a feeling that his father would want to move his business back home to Twilight Town. His parents kept talking about moving.

"I... see." He responded.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Kairi nudged his shoulder playfully.

"It's... nothing. We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me anything."

Kairi always told him everything, even about boys that she liked. But by now, Roxas' feelings for her had gone beyond friendship. He really didn't understand it then. He thought that it was just a crush. But when he learned that Kairi liked Sora and that he was returning her feelings, everything went downhill. His family life got worse. Kairi didn't talk to him as much. He constantly missed her and wished that she could just be around him to make him feel better, but she was spending the majority of her time with Sora. He was losing his light—his best friend. He was losing the one person that he trusted in this world.

The next summer, his family moved back to Twilight Town and the only time he ever heard about Kairi was through Sora, who started dating her the first year of high school.

_End of Flashback_

o.o.o

But now, the tables have turned.

He finally had a chance to keep Kairi in his life for good.

In a way, he felt like their roles had changed ever since they thought that Sora died.

He was _her light _now.

Kairi walked past him and sat down on the couch, still holding the glass of water in her hand.

"I have a few things planned for today, but... I can't tell you." Roxas said to her. "We can go whenever you're ready."

"Huh?" Kairi gave him a confused look.

"It's a special day." Roxas sat down next to her.

"Oh... yeah..."

o.o.o

Sora made his way back to Namine and Riku's house. The sun was setting and he hoped that they wouldn't be mad at him for falling asleep on the beach. They would probably understand his reasoning if he told them, but he really didn't want to talk about it.

He came to the front door. He could hear Ken crying and Namine and Riku fighting to calm him down; Riku sounded grumpy and Namine was just upset that he wasn't helping her. Sora sighed and opened the door.

"I have to be at work in an hour! Why is he crying?" Riku complained.

"I don't know, but if you'd at least try to figure it out, maybe he wouldn't anymore!"

Namine and Riku were so caught up in their fight that they didn't even notice Sora walk in. He wondered how often this went on. Ken was crying on the floor. Sora went over to him and knelt down.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

Ken sniffled and hugged Sora. "Mommy and daddy won't stop fighting!"

Namine and Riku finally realized that things were a little quieter and turned around. Namine suddenly felt embarrassed. Riku retreated back to his room and proceeded to get ready for work.

"I'm sorry that you had to hear that. Both of you." Namine said.

"It's fine."

Ken had stopped crying and now was distracted by a remote controlled race car. Sora and Namine stood in the kitchen; she was still trying to recover from the fight earlier.

"Every couple fights... it's just... normal." Namine said.

"I know. But really, it's okay."

"No... Ken should not have... seen that..."

Although he agreed with her, he didn't say anything. Riku walked out of his room, dressed and ready to go to work.

"Sorry, Namine." He said right before he left.

A few moments after, Sora also apologized for being out so long without telling them.

"I know why you left. It's okay."

Sora nodded and was about to walk out of the kitchen when Namine said his name once again.

"Sora... how do you feel about her now?"

"I don't know."

o.o.o

Roxas led Kairi down to the shore. He laid out a picnic blanket and set down the basket and put the fruit vase in the middle, making sure that it wouldn't fall. Kairi seemed impressed by the effort and they sat down.

Kairi looked at the fruit bouquet. "Can I...?"

"Of course, silly." Roxas laughed and handed her a strawberry stick. She reached for it, but he didn't let her take it. He pointed it at her mouth in a playful manner.

"Roxas..." She shyly looked away.

"Alright, here." Roxas gave it to her and scooted a little closer. Kairi slowly nibbled on it.

"I... like it."

"That's good."

He observed her as she continued to eat. A picnic at night on the beach was sort of simple, but Roxas knew that Kairi wouldn't go for anything big. He hoped that this at least was enough.

He was having trouble restraining himself from kissing her, though.

As the moon rose in the sky, Kairi and Roxas sat there in a comfortable silence. He didn't have anything in particular to talk about and neither did she; they were just enjoying the moment together.

At half past nine, Roxas decided it was time for Kairi to have her birthday cake. She was probably full from the fruit, but he at least wanted to make her birthday complete by letting her blow out a candle. Roxas set the small cake down in front of her. _'Happy Birthday Kairi'_ was written in pink icing across it. Roxas put the candle in the middle and lit it.

"Don't forget to make a wish." He told her.

"Roxas... this is... so nice of you... you really didn't have to do all of this..."

"Hurry, or the wind will put it out."

Kairi shut her eyes. She knew what she wished for, but for it to come true she would have to live in an alternate universe. She blew out the candle. Roxas clapped his hands and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Roxas."

Like Roxas suspected, she wasn't hungry anymore. He gathered their stuff and carried it back to the car. Right before Kairi was about to get inside, Roxas stopped her.

"Wait, I have one more surprise."

They went over to an empty spot in the parking lot. Roxas pulled two sparklers out of his bag and handed one to Kairi. She held it with a confused look on her face. Roxas took out his match and lit it for her and then lit his own. Kairi jumped at the sudden sparks; it was like she had never seen such a thing before. Roxas found this hard to believe, but maybe it was because she just hasn't felt excitement in a long time. As he held out his sparkler, he watched her doing the same. She was actually smiling.

The sparkler went out, but Roxas wasn't done. He still had a bunch of fireworks left, but he decided to only use the sparkler fountain. They both took a few steps back and the firework erupted before them, shooting up pretty yellow, red and purple sparks about six feet in the air. Kairi gasped with joy and watched in awe. Roxas put his arm around her. She really seemed to be enjoying it. He had not seen her like this in a long time.

"It's so... pretty!"

For a moment, Kairi had almost forgotten about her pain. She had almost forgotten about everything she had gone through. To her, this moment was the best one she had in a while. She hugged Roxas tightly and watched until the firework went out.

_'He cares so much about me...'_

"I don't know how to thank you, Roxas... for everything..."

Roxas smiled and kissed her forehead. "Just stay with me. That's all that I ask for."

Kairi didn't respond, but she kept holding onto him. She felt a ton of different emotions; some she wasn't even sure if she was supposed to be feeling.

She really had a great time.

o.o.o

**A/N:** I wanted to get this chapter out today. I really don't know when I will be updating after this. I get to go to the hospital. (YAY... not). Haha, but no worries.

I have many more plans for this story. Don't give up on any of the characters just yet!

Well, except for Vanitas. I can understand your frustration, but I needed him in this story.

Please **review** and until next time!


	19. Waiting for Superman

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Nineteen

o.o.o

_"She's talking to angels, she's counting the stars  
Making a wish on a passing car  
She's dancing with strangers, she's fallin' apart  
Waitin' for Superman to pick her up in his arms..."_

o.o.o

Kairi and Roxas walked into the dark apartment. She went into the hallway towards their bedroom door. Roxas quickened his pace and caught up to her. He was really wanting her at the moment and he couldn't hold back anymore. Right before she was about to go into the bedroom, he stopped her in the middle of the hallway and faced her. Kairi could feel her anxiety building up. Roxas' fists shook at his sides; he was really trying to control himself.

"If... you don't want me to... I won't..." he whispered into her ear; his heart beating faster every moment. Kairi didn't move or say anything, but he could see the troubled look on her face. This only made him want to make things better again—things were going so well before.

He leaned in to kiss her. Kairi was frozen with fear.

Right before his lips touched her, Kairi shrieked and pushed him away. She ran into the bedroom and shut the door, but just stood there in front of it, panting. She used the door's support and slid down onto the floor. Kairi rested against the door and stared up at the ceiling.

_'He's so... sweet... but...'_

Roxas tried opening the door, but noticed that Kairi was in front of it. He sighed and sat down on the other side with his back touching the door.

No matter what, there was always something blocking him.

Kairi hugged her knees. She wasn't sure what she was feeling.

_'Roxas really cares about me... but... I just... can't...'_

Roxas spoke, "Are you alright over there?"

Kairi took a few moments to respond, but instead of answering his question she just asked him something else.

"Roxas... do wishes come true?"

"Huh?" He said from the other side. She remained quiet. "Umm... well, I guess so."

He heard her stand up and her footsteps on the floor. This prompted Roxas to get up as well and go into the bedroom. He cracked the door open slowly and walked inside. Kairi was looking up at the moon from their sliding door with her arms crossed. Roxas came up next to her. She had the saddest look in her eyes.

Roxas stood there with her for a few minutes. Her gaze was fixed on that moon.

"Let's go to sleep." Roxas tried to crack a smile, but it didn't last long. He knew what she really wanted.

"I'm sorry." Kairi's gaze fell to the floor. Roxas faced her and stretched his arms out to touch her shoulders. He waited for some sort of hesitation from her, but she didn't. He pulled her close to him and hugged her.

"Don't _ever_ be sorry for something that you cannot control."

Kairi was surprised at his statement. He was right, though. Her feelings were all out of whack and she couldn't even think of Roxas as more than a friend. Sure, they sleep in the same bed, they're together all of the time, but... this wasn't what Kairi wanted.

Kairi fell asleep shortly after. Roxas couldn't bring himself to close his eyes.

_'Kairi doesn't love me... and she probably never will...'_

o.o.o

A few days later, Sora was working his new job as an associate at PacSun inside of the mall. He was tired of being cooped up in Namine and Riku's house. Even though they were paying him to watch their son, Sora still felt a bit unproductive. He made sure to check with them, however. It was only a part time job. He got three days a week at the most.

Wakka was the manager here. They used to live in the same apartment complex, so that's how Sora got the job other than an already impressive resume. Although they felt that he was a bit overqualified, they decided to give him the job. 

"Dude, could you check da shoe boxes and make sure dey are in there right? Thanks, man."

"Sure." Sora went over to the shoe section and began inspecting. He was glad that he had something to distract him from everything. Namine had been asking him when he was going to go and see his family and it was really stressing him out. He had no idea how he was going to show himself to them. He felt terrible about it.

Sora finished with the shoes and just walked around the store and tried to make himself useful. Wakka was off with a customer, but other than that, the store was pretty dead.

His coworker, John came over to him. He was messing with his phone.

"This job is so boring. I can't wait to get out of here."

"Where will you go?" Sora asked.

"Anywhere!"

Sora chuckled and just continued to fix the clothes on the hangers.

o.o.o

Kairi's phone rang. It was an unknown number, so she gave the phone to Roxas. He answered it.

"Hello?"

_"Hello, sir. This is the manager at Build a Bear. I'm looking for a... Kairi Hikari?"_

"Oh, hold on, please." He gave the phone to her and mouthed who it was.

"H-Hello?"

_"Kairi?"_

"This is she..."

_"How are you? I was looking over your resume and I was wondering if you had time to today to come in for an interview?"_

"An... interview?" She looked over at Roxas, who just smiled and nodded. "Sure, what time were you thinking?" Kairi tried to sound more certain and confident.

_"I know it's after seven and I would normally just schedule you tomorrow, but I really want to talk with you. Could you be here at eight thirty?"_

"Sure!"

It was a weird time for a job interview considering that the mall only stayed open until nine o'clock, but it was better than nothing. She hung up the phone and went to get ready. For the first time in a very long time, she looked at herself in the mirror for longer than a few seconds.

She had lost some weight. Her lips were chapped from the lack of water intake. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was a mess. Regrettably, she also needed to do some shaving. It wasn't like Kairi didn't keep up with her personal hygiene, she just didn't _feel like_ looking nice. She didn't feel beautiful anymore.

Roxas thought otherwise.

Kairi decided to braid her hair and put on a nice top. She knew that she had to dress for the job, but her confidence was lacking.

"Are you ready?" Roxas popped his head in the bedroom door. Kairi was still in her underwear. Roxas immediately turned away; he knew if he stared he would get _excited_ and he knew that Kairi wouldn't go for that.

A few minutes later, Kairi came out of their room with her purse over her shoulder and some nice shoes on.

"You are gorgeous!" Roxas said to her. "Let's go."

o.o.o

Namine, Riku and Ken were already at the mall, waiting for Sora to get off. They were in the area, so they decided that they would pick him up. To pass the time, Namine took Ken to a toy store nearby and Riku followed, but often got distracted by other things.

Sora was getting ready to close down the store with Wakka and another coworker. It was a fairly good day; Sora made a few sales with the few people that did come inside the store. He watched as the clock winded down. Sora polished the counter and made sure everything looked right within the store.

Roxas and Kairi entered the mall. He obviously couldn't go to the interview with her, so he looked around for somewhere to hang out for a bit nearby. As they got closer to the store, Roxas wished her good luck.

_'I love you, Kairi.'_ He thought, knowing if he said it out loud it would make her even more nervous.

Kairi took one last look at him before walking inside the store.

"Kairi, you're here! Right on time, too!" Selphie greeted her excitedly. "How are you?!"

Kairi watched as they closed down the machines. "Um, where is...?"

"Kairi?" The manager walked up to them and put out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you! You can call me Sarah."

"H-hi," Kairi said shyly as she shook her hand.

"Well, we can go ahead and start the interview. Why don't you come back here to my office with me?"

"Okay." Kairi followed her.

o.o.o

Namine, Ken and Riku made their way over to PacSun. Sora was already closing the doors and coming out; they told him he could leave twenty minutes early. He fought it, but then he remembered that they were waiting on him.

"Uncle Sora! I wan't to go to that bear store!" Ken ran up to him.

"Bear store?" Sora inquired.

"No, Ken... it's past your bed time and we need to go home." Riku said.

"Please, please, please?"

"What store is that?" Sora asked again.

"The Build-a-Bear store." Namine answered, "You know, where you can make your own stuffed animal."

"Please can we go? Please?!"

"I don't know, buddy. The mall is closing soon. The people there are probably tired and want to go home." Sora reasoned with the two and a half year old.

"Can we just _see_ it?"

Sora looked up at Namine and Riku. "I suppose walking by won't hurt. It's on the way to your car, isn't it?"

Riku nodded. "Fine, but we're not making any stuffed animals."

"YAY!"

Sora let the kid ride on his shoulders and went towards the store with Namine and Riku trotting close behind. It was on the other side of the mall, so it would be a few minutes before they made it there.

o.o.o

"So... you worked as a hostess at a restaurant as well as a server?"

Kairi felt terrible about lying and really hoped that they didn't do background checks.

"Yes."

"How was that experience for you? Did you enjoy it?"

"It had its moments..." Kairi chuckled. She really didn't know what to say about a job that she hated.

"How are you with children?"Sarah asked as she scanned Kairi's application.

"I... love children and they love me..."

Kairi was suddenly reminded of her miscarriage, but really tried to hold it in. The truth was, she didn't have any experience with children.

"How do you feel about a part-time job?"

As the interview went on, Kairi continued to answer with the positives. She had to really dig deep into her experience as a cabaret girl—fake smiles and confidence. She hoped that Sarah wouldn't catch on.

"Well, I think that's all of the questions I have for you. You seem like a really sweet girl."

"Thank you." Kairi smiled.

"I will give you a call in a few days. Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice." 

"Thank you for calling and considering me." Kairi bowed to her.

"Feel free to let Selphie show you around the store on your way out."

"Okay. I hope you have a nice night."

"You too!"

o.o.o

Sora and Ken were a bit ahead of the married couple. Ken was super excited and urged for Sora to run faster. They could see the shop in the distance.

"There it is!" Ken pointed it out. He was wobbly and Sora had to hold onto him tightly to keep him in balance.

Roxas was sitting down on a bench in front of the store. He saw Kairi coming out of the back and talking with Selphie.

"Uncle Sora! Stop here! Put me down!"

Roxas saw this.

"S-Sora?!" He called out.

"Hmm?" Sora kept his eye on Ken as the kid ran into the store and then turned around. His eyes widened at the sight of Roxas. Riku and Namine caught up to them.

"What are you... doing here?" Sora gulped; he was too afraid to turn around. Roxas couldn't speak; he was speechless.

_'If Kairi sees him...'_

"Oh, it's _you_..." Riku glared at Roxas.

"Is... Kairi in there?" Namine said nervously.

Before any of them could react, they heard Selphie and Kairi interacting with the two year old. Sora was paralyzed.

_'Her... voice...'_

Roxas wanted to tell Sora to hurry and get out of here, but he also was frozen in place. His mind was blank and all he could do was watch these events unfold. Namine hurried past them to retrieve her son.

"Come on, Ken... it's time to go home." She snatched him away from them and carried him out.  
_'That looks like... Namine..." _Kairi thought. Ken cried and fought his mother's grasp as she tried to get out of the store as quickly as she could.

"Hey!" Kairi ran after her. Namine was already out and walking down the hallway. Riku followed her.

Sora stood there next to the window; his eyes locked on Kairi.

She turned to go back into the store, but then... she saw him. Their eyes met and there was nothing but silence.

_'It's... over...'_ Roxas fell to his knees in defeat.

o.o.o

**A/N:** So here I was... thinking that it was too early for them to run into each other, but then again, it has been eighteen chapters already. This story will be around 36-38 chapters, so we have plenty of time for drama!

How will Kairi react? Sora?

Please **REVIEW** and maybe you will find out sooner than later!

_Other Updates_:  
My time in the hospital was short, but now I'm sore. At least I can still write. Woo! I wasn't sure if I would even be able to. No worries!

Have a great night! 


	20. I Need You

**A/N:** So I've been sick/in pain/dying/etc since Monday. (Okay, that's over-exaggerating a bit) but right now I feel okay enough to write so I will take advantage of that.

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty

o.o.o

_"If all you wanted was love, why would you use me up?  
Cut me down, build a boat and sail away?  
When all I wanted to be was your giving tree  
Settle down, build a home and make you happy?"_

o.o.o_  
_  
Silence.

Kairi's eyes met Sora's. She was shocked to say the least.

Sora had no idea what to do.

Roxas fell to the floor and hopelessly watched the inevitable unfold. It was a little strange though; it had been at least thirty seconds since they saw each other and yet neither of them were doing anything.

All of a sudden, Kairi's facial expression changed from shock to complete terror and she started screaming and pointing at him. She ran back into the store, only to be stopped by Selphie and a suspecting Sarah. Kairi reached for the phone.

"We have to call 911! This guy is here to kill me! Please! Call 911!" Kairi couldn't stop shaking. Sora heard this and ran inside.

_'Does she think I'm that guy?!'_ He thought to himself as he ran up to her. As he approached Kairi, she screamed even louder and cried. Roxas also came inside. Anyone that was passing the store stopped to see what was going on. Selphie was extremely confused. Kairi was freaking out.

"He's... come back... to get me! He's going to kill me! Selphie, call the police!" Kairi pleaded.

"Kairi, that's not-" Sora kept walking towards them, only causing Kairi to panic more. Tears made her vision blurry and all she could see was him getting closer.

"Selphie, let me take care of this." Sora said in a low tone. Selphie moved out of his way, leaving Kairi exposed.

"What in the world is going on?! Sarah questioned. Roxas couldn't say anything. "Selphie, lock the doors. Nobody needs to see this." Selphie ran off to do what she was told.

Sora knelt down in front of Kairi. Did she really not recognize him? Did Vanitas really do that much psychological damage to her? Then again, the guy did try to pass as him... and in Kairi's already fragile state of mind...

She didn't know that Sora was actually alive and here right now.

"Get away from me! Roxas, do something!" Kairi put her hands over to head and rocked back and forth, trembling with fear.

Namine appeared next to the door just before Selphie was able to close it and walked over to Roxas. Riku and Ken weren't around; Roxas assumed that Riku took him back to the car.

_'She looks terrible...'_ Namine thought.

Sora reached out his hand and tried to get Kairi to remove her hands from her head, but she continued to panic. "Kairi... it's me..."

"NO! You're lying! You want to kidnap me and beat me and rape me and do whatever you want to me again! You're a monster! Go away! Someone, please help me!"

"Kairi..." Sora flinched at her words, but tried to stay calm, "I didn't die in that train crash. I got away..."

He didn't know what else to say. He was making it up as he went.

He looked to Roxas for confirmation. If Roxas could tell Kairi that he wasn't lying, maybe she would believe him. He was probably the only person that Kairi trusted right now, sadly...

But for Roxas, that meant Kairi would find out that he knew this all along, even if in reality it was really just for a short time. Kairi would assume that Roxas knew since day one and he would lose her.

Kairi realized that he wasn't doing anything to her, but her fear had escalated so much that she couldn't control herself. All of the horrible things that Vanitas put her through were coming back to her in full swing and those nightmares that she desperately tried to forget flowed through her like wildfire.

_'She doesn't... at least... recognize my voice...?' _Sora was bewildered at the emotional distress that this had put on Kairi.

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on... or take this somewhere else and not do it in my store?!" Sarah demanded.

"Roxas, tell her!" Sora yelled to him.

Kairi finally looked up out of curiosity, but her pain was evident. Out of instinct, Sora touched her cheek. She panicked and started crying once again.

Roxas stepped forward. He had to let go of his pride and let Kairi know that this _wasn't_ Vanitas... but he knew the consequence...

He walked over to Kairi. Sora watched as he took her arms down and gently help her hands in his. Sora turned his head; he was a little annoyed by how close they had become but he knew this was the only way. Roxas wiped Kairi's tears from her face. She flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around him. Roxas held her tightly. To him, this was like saying goodbye. Roxas stroked her hair and tried to calm her down before he told her the truth.

Kairi felt safe in his arms.

"Kairi..." he said in a muffled voice, "listen to me, okay?"

Kairi nodded her head slightly, but kept her face buried in his chest.

Roxas let out a huge sigh. "This may be hard to believe, but... about four months ago... when all of that... stuff... was going on..." Roxas didn't want to remind her of the horrible things, but he couldn't think of any other way to explain it, "...I found out that Sora really was alive."

Kairi lifted her head and gave him an astonished look. Sora kept averting his eyes back and forth; it was hard for him to see them like this.

"But... that's... impossible... this guy... _can't_ be..." Kairi slowly turned her head and glanced at Sora, but then quickly looked away.

"It was hard for all of us to believe, Kairi." Namine said. "But it's true. Sora has been living at my house for the past few months."

"But... what about... Vanitas...?"

Roxas took a moment to gather the words he wanted to say, "The day that you were kidnapped, I found Sora on the side of the road. I thought that he was that guy too..." Roxas glanced over at him, "Turns out that he was going to go and help you as well... so when we got there..." Roxas struggled to finish, "...he told me to get you and he dealt with that bastard..."

Sora really didn't want Kairi to know this, but at this point he didn't really have a choice.

"He... _dealt with_... him?"

"I whooped his ass." Sora responded.

Kairi wiped her tears away and her vision cleared up some. "So... that means..."

"It means that your wish did come true." Roxas reasserted.

"Wish?" Sora repeated. Nobody answered him.

Kairi sat there on the floor, completely baffled. _'Sora... is... alive...?'_

He was right in front of her. She could see that he was clearly there—he wasn't acting violent towards her like Vanitas would have. He was more quiet and reserved. She wasn't sure how to handle this. Sora... the love of her life... was... ten feet away from her...

He wasn't dead...

Sarah looked at the time. The mall had already been closed for about thirty minutes. It was time for everyone to get out. She made them all get up.

"Kairi, thank you for coming to the interview, but I don't think this is the right job for you. Good luck with your searching and uh, I hope that you... feel better." She sounded stressed and just wanted to leave. Roxas, Namine and Sora slowly walked out of the store. It didn't even phase Kairi that she didn't get the job; she was still trying to understand what was going on. Sora and Namine walked in front of them. Kairi kept her eyes on Sora. Roxas just kept his hands in his pockets and watched her.

"I'll be in the car." Namine told Sora.

"Actually, Namine, you can go ahead and go. I can find a way home." Sora said.

"Are you sure?"

Sora nodded. Once they got outside, Namine waved to him, but her hand stopped moving when her gaze landed on Roxas and Kairi. She couldn't bring herself to say anything to them, so she just walked off to the car where Riku and Ken were waiting. Ken was asleep in the back seat.

"He's not coming?" Riku looked back at Sora.

"No, he said he'll be home later. Let's go."

Riku hesitated; he was a little frustrated but tried to hold it in and just drove off. Sora and the others waited until they were out of sight.

"So... what do we do now...?" Roxas asked.

"I don't know." Sora sighed.

After a few moments of silence, suddenly Kairi started weeping beside Roxas. Everything was finally hitting her. Sora was here. He was alive. He was breathing...

"Kairi, what's wrong?" Roxas tried to comfort her, but she refused his touch.

Kairi finally had a chance to apologize to Sora... for everything...

_'I want him back more than anything... how I got this opportunity... I don't know... it's some kind of miracle...'_

"Sora... can we... please... talk... or something..."

Sora's irritation was coming back to him. _'Maybe I should have gone with Namine...'_

"Sora..."

Now that she knew he was indeed living, she was probably going to try everything in her power to convince him that she still _loves_ him. To Sora, even though he obviously still cared deeply about Kairi, he didn't know what to do when it came down to whether or not to be with her again.

"Sora, just listen to her." Roxas said, completely regretful for doing so, but he knew that his chances with Kairi now were a lost cause. At the moment, he just wanted to give up. "She's been through hell and back. At least hear what she has to say."

Sora was very surprised that Roxas was saying this to him. _'Wasn't __he__ the one that wanted to take her away from me? Wasn't he the one she cheated on me with...?'_ Sora was at a loss and was having trouble comprehending all of this. Kairi's cries got louder.

"Fine..." Sora said in a bitter manner. "But we won't be longer than five minutes."

"R-R-Really?!" Kairi sniffled. She looked up at Roxas, who just looked towards the ground.

"Well?" Sora put his hands in his pockets and took a few steps forward. He couldn't believe he was actually going to do this. It was going way too fast for him; everything was crazy. Kairi ran up to him. To be in Sora's presence was complete bliss for her, even if he wasn't happy. For Kairi, just being able to see him... was amazing...

Roxas stood there as they walked off together. He knew that they would be gone for much longer than five minutes.

There was nothing he could do for her anymore.

o.o.o

_'She... hurt me. I know she's been through a lot, but that still doesn't erase what she did to me...'_

_'I don't know if I can love Kairi again. I don't even know what love is anymore...'_

"Sora...?"

"Hm?"

"I... um..."

"You don't have to say anything. I don't doubt that you're sorry."

"...Huh?" Kairi gave him a concerned look.

"Basically, the past is the past. It can't be changed. Unfortunately, it does affect the future. Specifically, _our_ future."

It was coming. He was going to tell her how much he hated her and that he never wanted to be with her again...

"I just can't understand what the hell was going through your head..." The irritation in Sora's voice was manifesting. Over the past year and a half, all he did was hold this in. He couldn't just keep quiet anymore. "Tell me that... _why_ did you turn to Roxas when you had everything that you could possibly need with me?! HUH?!"

Sora's yelling scared Kairi. She started to tremble and was losing her balance. Sora couldn't stop.

"Maybe you're regretful for what you did, but the worst part was that you still ended up with him in the end. Sure, you thought I was dead, but that's no excuse!"

"S-S-Sora... please... don't yell... at me..."

"Did you ever _really_ love me? Tell me that!"

"Of... Of... course I did... and I still do..."

Sora could hardly control his anger by now. He kept these feelings inside for such a long time and they were finally coming to the surface. The grieving period was over. The denial was over. He wanted to know _why_.

Kairi cowered next to him. He knew that this was making her extremely upset.

"Tell me... why did you have to go to Roxas?"

"I... don't know..."

"You still haven't figured it out?!"

_'He's... never yelled at me...'_

"Damn it, Kairi... you're just infuriating..."Sora stopped. "I can't deal with this. I'll take you back to Roxas. That's who you want to be with anyway."

"N-No..." Kairi sobbed, "that's not... true... Sora... your death was absolutely devastating... do you know how many times I tried to kill myself? If Roxas wasn't there... we wouldn't be having this conversation..."

"So what? He's your hero now?"

"Sora..."

"You know, I wish I would have died." Sora said in a very serious tone, shattering Kairi's heart.

His true feelings were coming out and she had to deal with them...

They arrived back at the mall entrance, but Roxas was nowhere to be found.

"Argh... where did he go?" Sora scanned the perimeters, but didn't see him. Kairi didn't even look; she was on the verge of crying once again.

_'Sora hates me...'_

"Call him." Sora told her.

"But..."

Sora took her purse from her and searched for her phone. Kairi was shocked and couldn't do anything about it. He found it and opened the phone. There was a picture of Sora and Kairi on the night that they got engaged on the cover. He stared at it for a while. Agitated, he looked through her contacts. He came to Roxas' name. Then he noticed that his name was right underneath his, as it would be since it was alphabetical order.

_'I'm still in here...'_

Kairi placed her hand on Sora's. The feeling was amazing.

"Sora... I want to stay with you..."

Sora looked into her eyes; he didn't know how long they did this, but he was entranced by her. Even though she did such terrible things to him, when he looked closely, it was like he was seeing _her_.

"Please... stay with me tonight..."

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Thanks for everyone's support and patience.

Leave a **review**! 


	21. Forgive Me

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-One

o.o.o

Roxas met up with Axel downtown in a mellow, low key bar. There were only a few people around, which made it better for him. He spotted Axel sitting near the bartender and watching the game on the television. Roxas made his way over there. Everyone could clearly see the stress in his face. Roxas rested his head on his forehead.

"So what happened, dude? You didn't sound too good on the phone... and now that I see you..." Axel turned to the bartender and ordered a pitcher of beer. "Drink up. Seems like you need it."

"I don't know why I'm even with Kairi anymore."

"Oh... _girl problems_." Axel didn't usually listen to these kinds of issues, but since Roxas was one of his best friends, he was all ears.

"What was the point of it all? Why did I ever fall in love with her in the first place?"

Roxas was really just thinking aloud with no real order in his statements and questions. Axel poured him some beer and he immediately chugged it.

"I mean, I've done _so much_ for Kairi's sake... but..."

"Yeah, why _do_ you stick around her? I never really understood it."

"Nobody does. Not even me."

"Well, the thing is, sometimes life just sucks." Axel took a sip of his beer. "But you either roll with it or just keep running in the same place and staying miserable."

Roxas knew that Axel was right, but it wasn't exactly easy for him to give up the only girl that had ever made him feel like he had a purpose. Now that Sora was back, all of his efforts were cast away and it was like he had nothing left to show for. All of his time and energy had been invested in Kairi over the past two years, as well as a long-time crush throughout his life. Change was not going to be pleasant, but right now he felt like he had no other choice. Even if Sora was a little different now, deep down Roxas could tell that the old, cheerful Sora was somewhere in there. Kairi had the power to bring out the best (and worst) in anybody that cared about her. Eventually, they would be back together and Roxas would once again be left in the dust.

But then he wondered _why_ he even spent so much time on Kairi. Roxas never felt the same connection with any other girl. He knew that he had gone overboard so many times throughout his life with her, to the point of destruction where it affected everyone. Roxas felt completely responsible for ruining Kairi's life. He was the sole reason that everything happened because he was too weak to say no to his best friend's long-time girlfriend that he knew was deeply in love with her. Most of the time, Roxas was very conscious of his actions. He had plans, goals and tried his best to carry them out.

But they were all for nothing.

He heard Axel and a few others in the bar cheering, interrupting his thoughts. Roxas really just wanted some peace and quiet, but he knew that no matter where he went, he wouldn't be able to relax.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Kairi's name appeared on the caller ID.

_'I can either answer it... or don't answer and let her go with him once again...'_

Ultimately, whatever decision Roxas made, he didn't believe that it would make a difference.

"What do you want to do with your life?" Axel asked randomly.

"Huh?"

"I mean... outside of this girl. You must have had something that you wanted to do in life... like a career or school or something?"

"Umm... well..."

"Why don't you take some time to get yourself together?" Axel suggested. "Get to know yourself again. Do something spontaneous. Do something you've always wanted to do that does _not_ involve Kairi. Honestly, hearing about her is kind of annoying." Axel laughed.

"Whatever."

"Just try it."

o.o.o

Sora handed Kairi's phone back to her and walked a few steps forward in thought. Was Roxas really leaving her there with him?

Kairi was a little relieved that Roxas didn't answer, even though it did worry her a bit. She knew this must have been extremely difficult for him to do.

"I'll give you some money for the bus." Sora opened his wallet.

"N-No..." Kairi pleaded with him; she really didn't want to separate from him.

"I can't stay with you. It's impossible. Argh... I have no idea what Roxas is doing."

"...Why not...?" Kairi felt like she knew the answer, but she didn't want to accept it.

As irritated as Sora was around her, he knew that he couldn't leave her there by herself and would not feel comfortable until she was home and safe.

"Where do you live?" He asked.

Kairi didn't answer; she knew that Sora was just trying to get rid of her and that really hurt. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried really hard not to cry again. This was just too much for her. She knew that what she did was wrong and really wanted to make up for it, but Sora's anger and reluctance was really unnerving and she had no idea how to get through to him. Kairi knew that it would take a long time for him to forgive her... but she was willing to try...

Without Sora's consent, Kairi embraced him. His smell was the same; he was warm. She could stay like this forever if he allowed it to happen; she at least wanted to do this once. She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffled. Sora didn't do anything to reciprocate her actions, but that was okay. Kairi's tears finally made their way out and she was sobbing on him.

"I'm... so happy... that you're here... you have no idea... how much I regret... everything that I have done..."

Sora just listened; he had nothing to say. He had to admit that being close to Kairi like this was very nostalgic, but at the same time it made his stomach toss and turn and he didn't quite know what to do about it. Kairi's grip got tighter on him.

"Being a hostess must have been easy for you."

Kairi gasped and looked up at him with grief stricken eyes.

"It wasn't... I... hated it..."

Sora knew that he sounded bitter. He cringed at the thought of Kairi being all over random men at the club, drinking and laughing with them and possibly giving them extra favors. The Kairi that he used to know would never do such a thing, but so much has changed that Sora didn't know how to act anymore. Sora stepped away from her. He could see a police man approaching them, meaning that they needed to get off of the mall's property.

Kairi and Sora walked through the parking lot and towards the bus stop. Kairi wasn't sure if he would just make her get on the bus and stay there or come with her; she was really hoping for the second choice. She didn't have much time to think about it. The bus was making its last rounds to the mall and if they didn't catch this one they would have to walk a few miles to the next bus stop. It parked in front of them. Kairi reached for Sora's hand, but he pulled away and told her to hurry up and get on. She slowly walked up to the steps, but kept her eyes on Sora.

_'Please come... with me...'_

Kairi took the first step onto the bus... then the next and the next. She stood in front of the bus driver and looked back at Sora, who was just standing there and staring at the ground.

"Is he coming or not?" The bus driver asked.

"Umm... y-yes! Sora..."

He didn't move.

"I've gotta close the doors. On a tight schedule, ya know." She told Kairi as she reached for the handle.

"N-No! Wait... I'll get off then..." As soon as Kairi placed her foot on the step, Sora walked up to the bus and made her move back so he could get on. A little confused, Kairi went towards the middle and sat down next to a window. Sora sat across the isle from her and just stared out the other one.

A little desperate, Kairi quickly moved over to his side and sat next to him, trapping him between her and the window. This really got on Sora's nerves.

"What are you doing?" Sora's eyes suspiciously shifted over to her. She didn't touch him or anything; she just wanted to be near him. Kairi shrugged and looked forward.

"You're really bothering me." Sora admitted to her. His words were hurtful and crushing and Kairi didn't feel like she deserved this from him... not anymore... at least...

She had been through enough...

What was it going to take for Sora to realize that she truly was sorry?

o.o.o

Namine and Riku stood in their dark kitchen in silence. It was nearing midnight and they were starting to worry about Sora.

"Kairi looked... pale... and skinnier." Namine said quietly.

"I don't really care about her."

"I wonder if her reaction was because of that guy on TV..."

Riku sighed and started to walk out of the kitchen, but Namine stopped him.

"Part of me... kind of wants to see her... and I'm not sure why..."

"It's best if you didn't get involved with her at all."Riku went to the bedroom and closed the door.

Even though their 'friendship' ended on a bad note, Namine always wondered what had happened to Kairi after that hospital visit when she refused to come to Sora's memorial service. She constantly worried about her—they did used to be best friends.

She heard the door downstairs creak open. Sora must have been home.

Namine went over to the basement door. She pressed her ear against the wooden frame and and listened. Someone—rather more than one person were walking around downstairs. She then heard someone walking up the stairs and quickly moved away so that it didn't seem like she was eavesdropping. Sora opened the door shortly after, carrying a pillow and a blanket. He went over to the couch and laid down.

"Sora?" Namine whispered.

"Sorry, but Kairi's downstairs. I didn't know what to do with her. Roxas ditched us."

"What?" Namine knew that if Riku found out, he would be furious.

_'Should I go and see her...?'_ Namine pondered, looking towards the basement door.

Sora just turned over and tried to sleep. Namine couldn't see it, but he was very much awake.

o.o.o

Kairi sat on the bed that Sora normally slept in. She was a little surprised that he actually brought her here and let her sleep in his own bed (without him, of course). She took in his scent as she held the sheets up to her nose. Kairi never realized how much she actually missed him until she finally saw him again. The fact that he didn't die was still lingering in her mind and she was still trying to believe it. This could have just been a dream for all that she knew.

Kairi lay down on his pillow. It was so comfortable. If this was the closest that she could get to him, then for now, it was okay.

To her, Sora seemed like a different person. He was a lot more serious and was easily angered around her. Then again, what did she expect? Kairi must have really hurt him. She really wanted to find a way to make it up to him...

_'How...'_

"Kairi?"

Kairi bolted up. Namine stood at the edge of the stairs. She walked over to her.

"...Hi."

"...How are you?"

Their conversation was awkward from the start.

"I could be better." Kairi responded.

Namine finally figured that coming down here was pointless and went back upstairs. She joined Riku in bed and went to sleep.

o.o.o

Sora lay on the couch uncomfortably and just stared at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

_'I wonder what she's doing right now...'_

_'No... you can't let her get to you. She __cheated__.'_

Kairi's smiling face popped in his head.

_'...she's... so... beautiful though...'_

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** So as you can see, I changed the rating, meaning future chapters may go a little bit more into detail than the previous.

You guys are so, so awesome! I will feel better soon... maybe!

Please leave a **review** and don't eat too much during the Super Bowl, k?

Oh screw it, do what ya want!


	22. When You Walk Away

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Two

o.o.o

The next morning, Kairi woke up in a blur. Light shone from a single window on the other side of the room. It was quiet and she had no idea what time it was until she checked her phone. There weren't any calls or messages from Roxas. It was a little weird.

_'I wonder if Sora's awake...'_

Just as she was getting out of bed, Sora came down the stairs in a blue robe. He saw her, but said nothing and just went over to his dresser to pull out some clothes.

"...Good morning..." Kairi said to him.

"Mhm." Sora quickly grabbed his clothes and headed back towards the stairs.

"W-Wait!"

Kairi lifted herself off of the bed and slowly went over to him. Sora had his back facing her; she couldn't see it but he was getting really nervous. Kairi reached for his hand, but stopped midway.

He was so far away.

"Don't come upstairs. You have to leave."

"Sora..."

"Would you please stop saying my name?"

_'I love it...'_ He thought to himself right after.

Kairi sniffled and turned to the side. She was starting to get hopeless. This pain hurt a million times more than anything. She had never imagined that this would happen, despite everything. She wanted to be a part of his life again... she wanted him to love her again...

"Don't be here when I come back down. If Riku finds out he will flip his lid." Sora said coldly and proceeded up the stairs.

Sora went to the bathroom to change. He hung the robe on the door and got dressed. Fixing his hair a little bit, he stopped and stared at himself in the mirror. However, his mind was elsewhere.

"Am I being too harsh...?"He asked himself out loud. "I mean... she's been on the verge of _suicide_... over me... but if she didn't do what she did in the first place... and then... that guy did who knows what to her..."

"But I still can't bring myself to forgive her... even though I feel sorry for her..."

There was a knock at the door and Riku's voice was heard. "You okay in there?"

"Yeah," Sora called out to him and finished what he was doing. Before leaving the bathroom, he wondered if Kairi had left yet. He highly doubted it. His questions were confirmed when he heard Riku again, but he sounded angry. Sora rushed out and saw Riku and Kairi in the kitchen. She had a terrified look on her face.

"Damn it..."

"What the hell is she doing here?" Riku asked him. "Get her out of my house! What in the world were you thinking? Are you with her again?"

"No!" Sora hurried over to her, put both hands on her shoulders and made her go down into the basement, following close behind.

"I'm... sorry... I..."

"I _told_ you to leave!" Sora yelled. "I was nice enough to let you stay here, you could have at least done that..."

Kairi whimpered in front of him. She never meant any harm...

Sora took a few deep breaths. It wasn't like him to do this. He immediately felt bad, but he didn't apologize or anything. Sighing, Sora's voice became a little bit calmer and he said, "I will take you home."He put on his shoes and looked over at her. Kairi just stood there and cried.

"Let's go." He walked over to the door and waited for her to follow. Nothing happened.

"Do you hate me...?"

"What?"

Kairi trembled and tried to repeat herself, but she couldn't without an abundance of tears rolling down her face. Sora could feel himself getting weak, but he didn't let it get to him. As much as he hated seeing Kairi in misery, he had to remember that things would probably never be the same between them again no matter how much he pitied her.

That was all it was—pity.

...right?

Sora spotted her shoes near the bed and went over to get them. He set them down in front of her feet and stood up. Their eyes met and a butterfly sensation overcame him. Kairi took a few steps closer to him. She really wanted to kiss him. Sora could see her lips getting closer to his. He could barely move. Kairi closed her eyes; she was being extremely brave and her love for him was controlling her. She just... wanted to...

Sora stood there. Kairi's lips brushed against his, pulling away at first and then going back for a real kiss. With his eyes opened, Sora looked anywhere but at Kairi's face. He could feel his heart beating fast. He had to stop this... but in truth he was curious how he would feel in this situation. She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to kiss him; Sora didn't kiss back. To him, it was very awkward. Kairi became more aggressive, making Sora even more uncomfortable. He parted from her and without realizing it, wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Kairi saw this and teared up even more.

It was official—Sora may have still had feelings for her, but they were nowhere near where they used to be. The kiss was just sloppy and felt pointless to him.

Had his feelings really changed that much?

Kairi felt terrible for pressuring him like that, but she didn't regret it. Even though she knew that he wasn't into it, for her own sake, she felt like it had to be done. Her love for him had only gotten stronger and she was more determined than ever.

"You're trying way too hard." He said to her. "Put your shoes on. Let's go."

o.o.o

Roxas sat in the bathroom and rested his head against the wall. He had just thrown up and had a huge hangover. Axel had already left for the day; he was pretty sure that Axel drank more than he did and yet he seemed just fine. Roxas got to his feet and immediately felt dizzy. He held onto the counter for support and reached for the door.

He didn't have to wonder where Kairi was or even what she did with Sora. They were probably laying together, wrapped in each other's arms after a long, passionate night of makeup sex. Roxas was surprised with himself as to how calm he was about it, even though it disgusted him. It was almost as if he expected it.

Roxas got dressed and went out to the cafe near the apartment. He walked inside and was greeted unenthusiastically by a girl. Her shoulder length, silver hair was swooped over one side of her face.

"Hi, I'm Fuu and I will be your server. What do you want?"Her demeanor was serious and uninterested.

"Just give me a bagel or something."

"What flavor? We have blueberry, strawberry, berry mix, banana, orange..."

"Blueberry."

She went and got him a drink of water and handed him his bagel. Before she left, she just stared at him for a moment.

"So why are you so miserable?"

"Huh?"

"You just look that way."

"Um... hangover."

"You must have had a reason to drink."

"Why do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "There's no one else here and I'm bored."

Even though Roxas did think it was a little weird, she was right. They were the only two there.

"The girl I love is with someone else."

"Bummer. My boyfriend died."

Roxas gave her an astonished look; how could she be so casual and emotionless?

"I'm... sorry about that."

"Yeah. Some bastard in Twilight Town shot him at point blank range. Coward... he wasn't exactly the best boyfriend in the world, but I liked him."

Roxas didn't really know what to say to the waitress. He just stayed quiet and looked out the window.

o.o.o

_"Get inside for the three o'clock body count!"_

The inmates of the Twilight County Prison all stopped what they were doing and gathered in the main hall in a straight line. Several officers patrolled the area, ready to fire if there were any incidents. Vanitas stood at the end of the line.

When it was time to eat, everyone went to the cafeteria; their feet in shackles. Meals consisted of green beans and chili with a biscuit on most days. The inmates went off in their own groups and sat with each other, but Vanitas was alone. There were no such things as friends or trust here. People will literally stab you in the back at a moments notice.

"Check it out... its _Vanny boy_." Rai came up to him with a few others. Vanitas ignored them. He knew that Rai was stronger than him, physically. This guy was holding a grudge against him all because he killed that Seifer guy and had been tormenting him since day one. Rai hit him across the head with his hand and laughed; his fellow mates copying him. Vanitas' blood was boiling and he really wanted to hit back, but he knew he would lose.

"Break it up." An officer gave them stern looks.

Lunch was over and everyone was told to go back to their cells.

Vanitas was considered too dangerous to have a cell mate, so for twenty one hours a day, he was stuck in a four by four cell in solitude. The prison was noisy all the time; there were a lot of inmates that liked to lash out and yell random things at the expense of others, only to get beaten up later for it.

Vanitas passed the time by reading. He didn't like to do it, but he had nothing else to do. He was waiting for the first opportunity to break out of here and he knew that it wouldn't be easy. He had been to this prison before, but only for two months.

He was serving a life sentence. He was charged with second degree murder, kidnapping, assault and rape.

He swore to himself that he would escape.

o.o.o

Kairi and Sora finally made it to the apartment where she was staying. She really didn't want to come back here; she knew that she probably would not see Sora for a long time after this. She wanted a way to contact him, but she highly doubted that Sora would give his number to her. She had no idea whether or not he even checked his e-mail or his social networks. As a matter of fact, Kairi hadn't even thought to look him up online.

"Is this it?"

Kairi nodded and sighed.

"Well, have a nice life."

_'No... those words...'_

"Sora... don't... leave..."

Sora could feel the imminent words coming to him. He tried really hard not to say anything, but he couldn't help it anymore.

"Kairi, you and I are done. We will _never_ be together again. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it has to be."

"Don't... say that..."

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to lie?"

"No... but... please... give me a chance..."

Sora tucked his hands in his pockets and sighed. He really didn't see this going any other way. Kairi looked at him with hopeful eyes, but his mind was already set. At the same time, Roxas was coming back towards the hotel. He saw Sora and Kairi standing there; Kairi looked hysterical.

"I don't love you anymore, Kairi."

Kairi fell to her knees. Sora turned and walked away from her.

Roxas was shocked.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** This is getting harder (emotionally) for me to write! Phew!

This chapter seems a little short, I know, but that's okay, right?

Don't worry, I didn't forget about Xion.

Please leave a **review**!


	23. Maybe We're Not Meant To Be

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Three

o.o.o

_"It's like one step forward and two steps back  
No matter what I do you're always mad and I can't change your mind  
It's like trying to turn around on a one-way street  
I can't give ya what you want and it's killing me  
And I... I'm starting to see  
Maybe we're not meant to be..."_

o.o.o

Namine sat at the kitchen while Sora paced around frantically.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_" Sora called out.

"What did you do?"Namine asked with concern.

"I... said something that I shouldn't have."

Namine waited for him continue.

"...I told Kairi that... I don't love her anymore..."

"Is it true?"

Sora paused and shook his head.

"Did you apologize?"

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because... if I do that... she will get hope or something... and I don't know how I feel!"

Namine thought for a moment. She felt really bad for both Sora and Kairi. She wasn't sure if she should say what was on her mind, but she ended up saying it anyway.

"Why don't you try to spend some time with her? Take her out."

"Are you crazy?" Sora gave her a defying look.

"You clearly still have feelings for her and you won't know how you feel until you voluntarily sit down with her and talk. There's no use in stomping around my house. She actually seems... remorseful."

"But I don't know _how_ to talk to her. She throws herself at me every chance she gets. Must have learned it from that nightclub job..."

"Sora, do you want to be with her again? I don't want to hear some cover up." Namine said sternly. "I want your true, honest feelings."

"...I do. But it seems impossible right now."

o.o.o

For the next few days, it was like Roxas and Kairi were back to square one. She was extremely depressed, wouldn't eat and wouldn't get out of bed. Once again, he had to keep a close watch on her.

Honestly, he was getting tired of it.

Roxas could only take so much these days. He felt that being with Kairi was like inevitably driving towards a dead end. As much as he loved her, inadvertently was becoming more and more distant. Roxas wanted a real relationship with Kairi, but nothing ever changed.

But yet he couldn't leave her.

Roxas heard Kairi sobbing in their bedroom, but he didn't get up from the couch right away. It wasn't until he heard things breaking that he was prompted to rush in there. Kairi had thrown the lamp on the floor and was trying to rip the sheets. She was going insane.

"Kairi, what are you doing? Stop it!" He intercepted her before she was able to throw the alarm clock at the glass door. Kairi screamed. Roxas was kicked in the stomach, but he was still able to hold her down.

"I want to _die_! There's no reason for me to stay here anymore!"

"Yeah, you've said that before!" Roxas tightened his grip. "Calm down!"

"Sora hates me! He wants absolutely nothing to do with me! He just thinks I'm a whore!"

"He does... not... hate... you!" Roxas accidentally slammed Kairi's head on the floor as he tried to get control of her. She cried out in pain and just lay there.

_'How much longer am I going to put up with this...?!'_

o.o.o

He took her to her therapist for an emergency session. Roxas forced Kairi up the stairs and towards Ms. Lee's office. He knew that he should have called ahead, but he didn't have time. Kairi was a ticking time bomb and he had no idea what she would do next. She needed to talk to someone with a level head because right now all Roxas wanted to do was run away.

Ms. Lee accepted the session and took Kairi into her room. Roxas waited outside. He was overly stressed and irritated; if anyone were to say anything to him he would probably explode on them. He was lacking sleep because he was afraid of this happening.

His sanity was declining.

o.o.o

Sora was finally done with his shift. He clocked out and left the store. Now he had the entire afternoon to figure out something to do—Namine, Riku and Ken were out shopping somewhere. Now that Sora felt like his job was going to last, he felt that it was time to look for an apartment. He didn't want to have to depend on his friends; they were a family and had their own lives to live.

After visiting several leasing offices, Sora realized just how expensive rent was with his part time job. He missed his job at the corporation. Back then, he was financially stable. He wondered what would happen if he walked into the headquarters building, but refrained from doing so.

He was just minutes away from his parent's house by the time he was done with his rounds. The familiar setting made him tremble. He knew that he needed to visit his parents... but he was too afraid. Sora had no idea what they would do or even say. He wasn't sure if he was ready to deal with his mother's crazy antics again, but at the same time, he did miss them. In a split second spontaneous decision, Sora made his way towards the neighborhood that he grew up in.

Not much had changed in the past year and a half. The lawns still looked perfect, the gardens were extravagant and there were nice cars everywhere. Neighbors got along for the most part. Sora could see their house just down the road. He stopped on the corner and just stared; his nerves were overwhelming him again. They were obviously home; both of their cars as well as the butler's car were in the driveway. Sora tried to swallow his pride and keep walking, but it got more difficult with every step. All of a sudden, he saw his father come outside.

Sora hid behind a bush in one of neighbor's yards; he was surprised that an alarm didn't go off or anything. His father made his way towards the mailbox; he was still dressed in his robe and looked like he had not shaved in days. This was very unlike Mr. Yamada; he was always clean cut especially in a neighborhood full of judgmental rich folks. Sora watched as he retrieved the mail and went back inside; his head hung low. This was the perfect time for Sora to chicken out, but he felt really bad. Although he wasn't ready to explain to his parents what had happened to him and where he was, (if his mother found out that he was staying with her sister the entire time she would freak out) but he felt like he owed it to them to at least let them know that he was okay.

Sora slowly walked up to the front door. He was extremely anxious by now; so much so that his finger shook as he tried to press the doorbell. He definitely didn't think this through; just showing up like this—anything could happen. Sora gathered all of his courage and pressed the button. A loud ringing sound echoed throughout the house.

He wanted to run.

"This is a bad idea... this is bad... I can't do this..."

He could hear his mother calling to Jonathan, their butler, to answer the door. Sora began shaking. This was too much...

But it was too late.

The door cracked open and Jonathan peered out. His beady eyes squinted at him. "Who goes there?"

"Uhh... hey..." Sora said, his nervousness apparent in his voice.

"Sweet mother of Jesus..." Jonathan's eyes widened in shock. "Madam! Madam, come quickly!" The skinny man was frantic, but joyful at the same time. He nearly tackled Sora to the ground, expressing deep gratitude for Sora being there. Sora was a little surprised at his reaction.

"What is it?" Mrs. Yamada appeared at the door. As soon as she saw Sora, she dropped the glass of wine that she was holding and if it weren't for Mr. Yamada right behind her, she would have fainted.

"MY BABY!" Tears of joy streamed down her face. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE HERE!"

"My son... is alive..." Mr. Yamada was unable to contain his astonishment.

Sora could barely breathe; his mother was hugging him so tightly. He expected more screaming and anger, but just the fact that she was overjoyed was fine with him.

"Oh... my... baby... where in the world... have you been...? Are you hurt? What happened to you?" She asked a million questions. "Never mind, let's get you inside... oh my goodness... this is a miracle..."

She sat Sora down at the kitchen table, but couldn't take her hands off of his shoulders and hair. "I am... I don't even know what to say... this is just..."

"Hey, dad." Sora said amongst all of his mother's excitement.

"So you're okay?"

Sora nodded.

"My goodness... when I saw your brother on TV I nearly cried! Gosh he looks so much like you it's scary... but what matters is... you're here-"

"My... brother...?" Sora questioned; she must have been delirious. "I don't have a brother..."

Mrs. Yamada stopped in her tracks and immediately realized that she had made a huge mistake. Mr. Yamada and Jonathan glared at her.

"D-D-Did I say... brother? I meant... um..." she tried to come up with a cover up, but just reverted back to praising him.

But now Sora was fixated on her little outburst.

"Dad, what is she talking about? What brother?"

His dad gave him an uncertain look. Everyone suddenly became quiet.

"It's a... very long story..." Jonathan said.

o.o.o

Roxas escorted Kairi out to the car. The session took three hours; he would see the charges later on the bill. With no job and Kairi's savings running out, Roxas was getting even more fidgety. When they were both securely in the car, Roxas put on the child and window locks and started driving back to the apartment. Kairi didn't say a word.

However, Roxas had plenty on his mind.

"Kairi, are you _ever_ going to realize how much I love you?"

He knew that it was the wrong time to ask. He knew it would only make things worse.

"I can't figure out what you want. I don't know how to make you happy anymore."

"I'm sorry..." she said in a very low tone; he almost didn't hear it.

"Is this what our life will consist of? I've been trying _everything_ for you, yet nothing ever comes out of it. I'm letting you know right now, it's really frustrating. I give and give... and I don't mind that, but all I get in return is..."

Kairi was silent.

o.o.o

Namine, Riku and Ken stopped at a Starbucks to eat. Riku got up to go to the bathroom while Namine sat there with the two-year old. Ken colored with some crayons on a napkin while Namine looked over the menu.

"Namine, is that you?"

Namine whirled around, only to see her ex-boyfriend standing behind her and smiling. He looked like a mature version of Roxas. A briefcase hung over his shoulder. His suit and tie looked dashing on him and he was very calm and collected.

"Ventus! Oh my gosh!" Namine stood up and hugged him; she knew that she probably shouldn't have but she couldn't help herself.

"How's it going?" He grinned and looked past her. "Oh, who's this little fellow?"

Namine blushed and went behind Ken. "This is... my son. Ken."

"Whoa, your _son_, eh?" Ventus awed at the little boy. "He's a cutie. So I'm guessing that you're married, then?"

"Yeah, to me." Riku appeared; he didn't look very pleased. "Namine, who is this freak and why does he look like Roxas?"

Namine laughed nervously. "Well, he's..."

"I'm his older brother, that's why. Good to meet you." He extended his hand, but Riku refused to shake it. Riku's jealousy was evident, but that only made Ventus and Namine laugh.

"We dated right before I entered college." Namine said.

Riku twitched. "Why... are you telling me this?"

"Oh come on, that was... eight years ago! Get over it, Riku." Namine giggled.

"Haha, well I'm not going to take up much of your time. I was actually in town because I was looking for Roxas. Have any of you seen him?"

Even though they saw him at the mall the other day, they both shook their heads.

"Is something going on?" Namine noticed the serious look on Ventus' face.

"Uhh... yeah. Just some family problems. I need him to come back to Twilight Town with me for a while."

"I see."

"Well, hope you find him. Come on, let's go." Riku started packing up their things.

"Didn't you guys used to be good friends?" Ventus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but... he's not exactly on good terms with us right now." Namine admitted. Riku rushed her out the door, along with their son. Ventus just watched in confusion.

"Okay, then."

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Feel the brotherly love! Okay, don't do that... haha. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please don't forget to leave a wonderful **review**! Peace!


	24. Intoxication

**A/N:** NO, Sora and Roxas are NOT brothers. Also, it was fun being at exactly 48,000 words while it lasted. Anyway, read on!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Four

o.o.o

Mr. and Mrs. Yamada led Sora down to the basement. There were an assortment of boxes piled on shelves; each had their own label. Sora hadn't been down here in years; it used to be a lounge area but now it was turned into storage. Mrs. Yamada hesitatingly went over to the corner of the room and reached for a small, wooden box on the top of the shelf. Mr. Yamada helped her get it down and she brought it over to Sora. Her expression was pale and unnerving.

Sora took the box and after exchanging looks with his parents, he opened it. Inside were a bunch of baby pictures. Sora recognized himself; he had seen his own baby pictures before, but these must have been from somewhere within the first few months of his life. He then came across a picture of his mother laying in the hospital bed and holding two babies. One was wrapped in red and the other in a blue blanket. Sora noticed that the baby's eyes were different colors; the one in the blue blanket, presumably himself, had matching aqua eyes. The other had undeniable yellow eyes.

_'Yellow eyes...'_

"M-Mom... who is... this?"

"Your... twin... brother..." She answered sheepishly, "Vanitas."

Sora nearly lost his balance upon hearing that name.

"EH?!"

"At the time, we couldn't afford to keep both of you... so we kept you and gave your brother to a friend. It was a very hard thing for us to do." Mr. Yamada admitted.

"What do you _mean_ you couldn't _afford_ us?" Sora was even more confused. "What friend...?" His brain was starting to hurt. "..._huh_...?!"

"T-that's not important! Anyway... when I saw that your brother was meddling with that good for nothing ex-girlfriend of yours, I nearly jumped out of my seat. I knew it was him. His first name was the same... his last name was the same one as the friend that we gave him to... it was definitely a shock!" Mrs. Yamada exclaimed.

"That's... you're kidding..."Sora couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"It's true. And it looks like we made the right choice." Mr. Yamada said.

"I knew that there was _something_ wrong with that child..." Mrs. Yamada shuddered.

"I... still don't... understand..."

_'I actually beat up my own brother...?'_

"Were you _ever_ going to tell me?"

"We didn't feel the need to." Mrs. Yamada said sympathetically. He didn't know about you either." Her demeanor suddenly changed and she smacked him in the shoulder. "When were YOU going to tell us that you were actually alive?! Do you know how many sleepless nights we had just crying?"

"Mom!" Sora backed away from her, but held onto the wooden box. "Anyway... do you mind if I... look at this some more...?"

"I suppose. But do it upstairs."

They all went back up into the living room. Sora was still freaked out over the revelations he had just heard. It was mind-boggling. How could he go through his entire life up until this point without even knowing that he had a twin brother? He felt like he should be upset that they hid this from him, but he wasn't really in a very good position to do that. He took a seat on the couch and flipped through the tons of pictures in the wooden box. He noticed that in every picture of him and Vanitas, he looked upset.

"He must have just been born that way." Mrs. Yamada sat next to him. "Your little brother was evil since day one. I never thought that a baby could do something out of spite, but you were always crying whenever he was around. You two had to sleep in separate rooms because you couldn't fall asleep if he was nearby."

"So... how old were we when you decided to... give him up?"

"About five months."

"And... you never planned on telling me...?" He repeated, just for confirmation. Mrs. Yamada shook her head.

"Wow..."

o.o.o

Kairi's cell phone went off next to her. Checking the caller ID, it was Aqua. Kairi answered in a mellow tone.

"Hey."

"Kairi, how are you? It's been a while!"

"I'm okay."

"You sound tired... or something."

"Yeah... I'm taking a new medication..."

"Medication?"

"It calms me down."

"Oh, well I hope that you're doing better. Actually, Terra and I are on vacation here on the Islands. Want to meet up?"

"I don't know. Roxas isn't home. I don't have a way to get to you."

"Silly, we can pick you up. Come on, get dressed."

"Okay."

Kairi hung up with them and just lay there for a moment. She didn't feel like doing anything; not even seeing her good friend. Ever since her therapist prescribed this medication, she had become very neutral about everything. Even her lingering thoughts of Sora were just shrugged off. It was almost scary, but in her mind, that was okay for the moment.

She got herself out of bed and threw on some clothes, not even bothering to check her hair or wash her face. She just didn't have the motivation.

o.o.o

Roxas was out searching for jobs. He had already applied to twenty places and was starting to feel exhausted. He didn't really have any job preference, obviously. He figured that if he was away from Kairi for at least six hours a day, he would be able to regain his sanity—given that the job didn't stress him out either. He knew that he shouldn't be applying during the evening, but he had started around noon. He left Kairi with Axel; Axel promised that he would watch her for the day.

As soon as he felt like he had filled out enough applications, Roxas wasn't quite ready to go back home. He kind of just wanted to spend the day by himself. He needed some fresh air, anyway. He got onto the bus and went down to the beach.

o.o.o

Kairi waited for Aqua and Terra outside of the apartment. They pulled up about five minutes later. Aqua jumped out of the car and embraced her.

"I've missed you so much!"

"Me too..."

"Well, come on. We're really excited to explore this beautiful place!"

Kairi got into the car with them and fastened her seat belt.

"Hey, kiddo." Terra greeted from the front.

"Hey."

Aqua and Terra tried to ignore her attitude and just focused on staying positive. Kairi really did like being around these two, but she couldn't show it. They went down to a nice restaurant on the outskirts of town.

"Kairi, aren't you hungry?" Aqua asked after looking through the menu for a few minutes.

"Not really."

"Have you already eaten?" Terra asked.

"No... I'm just... not hungry."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Aqua felt bad for coming here.

"It's not your fault. You two should enjoy yourselves. I don't mind watching."

Aqua and Terra exchanged anxious looks. After an hour of awkward dinner conversations, they finally decided to take her back home.

o.o.o

Later that night, Sora went downtown. He had way too much to drink already and was heading for the host club that Riku worked at. He walked inside and sat at one of the tables. Riku noticed him right away.

"Excuse me, ladies." Riku hurried over to his friend, who was nearly falling asleep at the table. "Sora, what are you doing here?"

Sora looked up at him and busted out laughing. Confused, Riku grabbed a drink of water and offered it to him.

"Hey... you wanna know... what?" Sora's words were slurred and he couldn't stop laughing. "My life... is _hi-larious_."

"Why do you say that?"

"J-Just think about it... my lifelong partner cheated on me with one of my best friends... then everyone thought that I was dead... then I stayed with my aunt and uncle... my uncle taught me how to fight..." Sora hit the table a few times with his fist, "and THEN, oh, it gets good... I find out that Kairi... get this... that Kairi is being _raped and tortured_ by my own twin brother!" He exploded in laughter. Riku gave him a very concerned look. "On top of that, oh you won't believe this... Roxas actually _cheated_ on Kairi before. Want to know how I know? Because he has a daughter!" Sora could barely contain himself.

"Alright, you need to go home. You're saying a bunch of nonsense."

A few girls surrounded Riku and begged him to come back to them. They noticed Sora.

"He's a cutie, does he work here?" They sat next to Sora.

"Back away, hoes!" Sora pointed his finger to the air, but then slumped over. Embarrassed, Riku immediately pulled Sora out of the booth and escorted him quickly out of the club. He flagged down a taxi and forced Sora into the back seat.

"Go _home_!" Riku demanded. He gave the driver some money and they drove off.

Sora couldn't stay still in the back seat. He kept switching from one window to the other, watching the trees and buildings go by. That's when he came up with an idea.

"Hey, can you take me... to... Sun Set Valley Apartments? I can stay there!"

"That's ten minutes in the other direction. Are you sure?"

"Ugh, of course I'm sure!"

The driver made a u-turn and headed towards the direction of Kairi's apartment.

o.o.o

Roxas didn't have the will to go home. He was enjoying the quiet nature of the beach and if he had a choice, he would stay there forever.

Even though Kairi was on medication now, (which seemed way overdue in Roxas' opinion), she was still unresponsive. Roxas felt a bit selfish again for wanting her to hurry up and get better, but he knew that as soon as she did she would just go back to Sora. There was no place for him in her life anymore.

"What should I do...?"

o.o.o

Sora got out of the taxi and stood in front of the apartments. He wobbled over to the door.

"Oh, crap. I don't know what room she's in..."

He was still very much intoxicated; he drank half a bottle of vodka. He knew that it wasn't good for him, but with everything that had been going on lately, Sora wanted an escape. Why he was here in front of Kairi's apartment at the moment was beyond him. He didn't want to think about it either. He spotted Axel inside and waved to him.

"Axel! What a stroke of luck!"

"Oh, hey dude. I was just checking mail. What are you doing here? You reek of alcohol, by the way."

"Thanks. I was looking for Kairi. I want to fuck her brains out."

"Whoa! Well, don't let me get in the way."

Sora just stood there, trying to keep his balance and giggling to himself. "It's funny that you think I'm serious."

"Alcohol will definitely mess with ya." Axel winked. "But if you want to see Kairi, I guess you could. She's upstairs." Roxas never really warned him about Sora. Even if he did know, Axel didn't really care.

Sora followed Axel up five flights of stairs; by the end he felt like he was going to die. Axel opened the door to the apartment and Sora walked inside after him. He suddenly felt dizzy.

"Come to think of it, maybe I shouldn't be here..." Sora tried to compose himself, but the effects of the alcohol were still in control.

"Kairi, your boyfriend or whatever is here!" Axel called out.

"I'm not... her boyfriend..."

"That's why I said _or whatever_." Axel grinned and retreated to his room.

Sora suddenly felt stupid. No amount of alcohol could prepare him for Kairi in her pajamas.

Wait, she was already out of her room? She was standing in the hallway?

_'I'm so... lost...'_ Sora put his hand on his forehead as if he was checking for a fever. He shouldn't be in this apartment right now...

"...Sora?" Kairi trotted towards him.

That was it. He couldn't control it any longer. He could feel it coming up like word vomit.

No wait—_actual_ vomit.

"...oops..."

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** I wonder what will happen next? Leave a **review**, please!


	25. When It Rains, It Pours

**A/N: **Get ready to be like. WTF. =D

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Five

o.o.o

Kairi quickly turned her head as Sora's insides splattered all over the floor and he lost balance and fell back. The smell quickly filled her nostrils and made her feel sick herself. Sora just sat there and tried to regain his posture, but it wasn't working. Kairi plugged her nose and went over to him, lifted him up and helped him walk over to the couch. He stretched out and somehow felt so much better.

"Gross..." Axel stood in the hallway. "Thank God for wooden floors..."

Kairi cleaned up the vomit as Sora lay across the room. It made her sick to her stomach, but she was finally able to get rid of it and then washed her hands for at least five minutes before coming back into the living room where Sora was. He said nothing to her; just made groaning sounds here and there.

Kairi got a wet washcloth and carefully placed it on Sora's head. She sat on the floor next to the couch and watched as he did nothing.

_'What is he doing here...?'_

Although Sora felt a little regretful for being in Kairi's apartment, he secretly enjoyed the company. With all of the stress that he endured lately, some peace and quiet was nice for a change. Kairi didn't try anything on him; she just sat idly nearby and watched, which he guessed he couldn't complain much about.

"Uh... thanks, Kairi."

Kairi perked up at the sound of his voice. "Oh, you're... welcome..."

Sora was about to say something else, but just then, the door opened and Roxas walked in. He didn't notice them at first, but after going into the kitchen and turning on the light, there they were in clear view. Baffled, Roxas just had to ask.

"What's... going on?"

"I came here because I felt like it." Sora said.

"...Okay."

Sora sat up, but was stopped by the throbbing pain in his head. He clutched his forehead and swung back and forth slowly with his eyes shut tightly. Kairi handed him the wet rag and he put it over the aching spot.

"Roxas, I've come to a conclusion."

"What's that?" Roxas raised his eyebrow.

"You and Kairi are so much alike."

"What are you saying?" Roxas stood in the kitchen doorway.

"It's cute, really. You're both obsessive... weak..." Sora was only trying to cover up the fact that he wanted to be around Kairi, "uh..."

"Whatever." Roxas went back to the bedroom, leaving them both alone once again.

"Do you really think that, Sora?" Kairi said anxiously.

"I... don't know. I guess."

Frustrated, Kairi stood up. She clenched her fists; tears were forming in her eyes. "You know, you've changed a lot. You're so mean to me. Maybe I deserved it in the beginning... but now... now it's just... evil! I really love you, Sora... I want to be with you again. Why can't you understand that?!" She yelled. Sora opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted. "I just wanted a chance to show you that you mean the world to me! I wanted you to know that I do regret what I did... that I completely hate myself for everything! Sora... you are the love of my life and nothing will ever change that! I want to be with you..." she could hear herself repeating things, but she could hardly concentrate. Her words were just coming out. "Please... Sora... why can't you just _listen_... to me...?"

Sora didn't expect her to yell at him. He suddenly felt really bad once again.

_'No... don't give in... it's a trick...'_

"Sora... I love you..." Kairi cried.

_'I did come here on my own... what did I expect? And God, why does she look so pretty when she's mad?'_

_'No, stop, Sora. Stop. Stop. Stop.'_

"Say something..." Kairi sniffled, covering her mouth with her hands.

_'I... can't... tell her... how I truly feel...'_

"I'm leaving. Don't wait up." Roxas paced quickly towards the door, not even bothering to look at them. It slammed behind him.

But Kairi was completely focused on Sora... and he wasn't responding.

_'This isn't the way that it's supposed to be... damn it... why do I want her so much?! Calm down... calm down...'_

Kairi stepped forward and slowly sat down next to him on the couch. Sora didn't move; he was still having an internal battle with himself; trying to sober up as fast as he could, but he couldn't think clearly. Kairi carefully placed her hands on his shoulders and began massaging them softly. Sora twitched at her touch; he was really struggling to control himself around her. Kairi didn't stop, either.

"You're so... tense..."

"Gee... I wonder why...?"

"I can stop..." she moved her hands away, but Sora quickly grabbed one of her hands. He blushed and looked away.

"No... d-don't..."

_'What am I saying...?!'_

"Really?"

Sora nodded.

"Okay..."

o.o.o

Roxas stormed out of the apartment and down the street. He had no idea where he was going, nor did he care. Hearing what Kairi said really tore him apart and made him feel worthless. He felt a drop of rain on his arm. In what seemed like a split second, it poured down on him, completely soaking him. Roxas stood there, drenched. This was the tip of the ice burg. To him, this downpour resembled everything he had gone through with Kairi.

When it rained, it _poured_.To Roxas, this had convinced him that it was finally over.

Sora was going to take her back and Roxas would just fade away, as if he was never there in the first place.

He was done.

For a moment, Roxas almost thought the rain had stopped. He looked up, only to see his brother Ventus holding an umbrella over him with a serious look on his face. Surprised, Roxas' mouth gaped open, but nothing came out.

"Let's get you inside." Ventus took him back to his hotel.

o.o.o

Sora couldn't take it anymore. Kairi's hands on him felt _so good_. Ignoring his throbbing headache, Sora planted his lips onto hers and got closer to her. His hand automatically touched her thigh, but at first he didn't do anything with it. Kairi was stunned and could barely move while Sora continued to kiss her. After hardly getting a response from her, Sora wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in.

_'Don't think. Just do...'_

"Sora... why... are you...?" Kairi was cut off by another kiss. Then, without notice, Sora picked her up and swung her around playfully. Kairi grasped him and held on tightly so that she didn't fall.

"Is it this way?" Sora directed towards the hallway.

"Is... what... what way...?"

"The bed."

"Sora..."

_'Can't turn back now...'_

"Guess I'll find out." Sora grinned mischievously as he carried her down the hall to the door at the end. He opened it and saw the bed, neatly made.

"S-Sora! Wait a minute! What are we do-" Kairi didn't have a chance to speak. After closing the door behind him, Sora placed her on the bed and got on top of her. Kairi didn't know whether to be afraid or not.

"What? You don't _want_ me...?" He teased, nibbling on her neck and making her squirm.

"T-That's not-"

Sora took off his shirt and just stared at her for a moment. Kairi was entranced. All of her fears and concerns were forgotten when he locked her in another kiss. His passion was over the top and like she had never seen before and she wasn't sure if that was because of the alcohol or not. Sora tugged at her shirt, urging her to take it off. Kairi complied; she was ready to let Sora into her heart again at any time. If this was what he wanted to do, by all means, she wasn't going to stop him. Sora was mesmerized with her; his heart was pounding in his chest. Although he felt crazy for doing this, he could regret it later. It was all just some experiment to see how he would feel and that was how he justified it.

Every ounce of Sora's being was consumed by her now. He kissed her all over her body; just jumping from each place in no particular order. This drove Kairi crazy; she didn't understand why he was suddenly doing this but she made sure to show him that she enjoyed every moment. Kairi wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He didn't hold back; their lips met and Kairi melted beneath him. Sora's hand traveled along her bare stomach and down to her hip as his other held him in place. He was a little wild, but Kairi liked it. He had never been like this to her before.

Sora lifted her up and pressed her body against his bare chest and continued to passionately exchange loving kisses. Kairi wanted to take control, but she also wanted to see how Sora was going to pull this off. He was already doing an excellent job...

Sora undid her bra and it practically fell off of her. He then laid her back down gently and moved to her neck. His hot breath sent tingles all throughout her body. By now, his erection was literally too hard to keep cooped up inside of his pants. He needed that release or else he would be extremely frustrated and uncomfortable. He grabbed Kairi's hand and placed it on his member, allowing her to stroke it while his tongue caressed her nipples in circular motions. He twitched at her touch and tried his best to concentrate on what he was doing. Kairi moaned in ecstasy; Sora was doing this _just right_ and it was sending her into a kind of bliss that she had never felt in her life. The fact that she loved Sora more than anyone in this world only made things a million times better. She unbuttoned his pants and tried to push them down from her position, but her arm was too short and Sora being on top of her made it more difficult. Sora chuckled above her and then proceeded to do the rest until he was completely naked. Kairi still had her jeans and underwear on, but Sora quickly changed that by kissing her inner thighs as he skillfully and delicately slipped them off of her.

They were so deeply invested in each other it was like nothing bad had ever happened. They were back to the time where it was just the two of them—hopelessly in love, except this time Sora was actually brave enough to take control of her, something that turned her on immensely. Kairi yelled his name as he started squeezing her breast and working on her area below with two fingers. She could barely handle it—it felt so incredibly _good_. Was this really even Sora doing this to her...?

"Ah... AH... S-Sora..."

Sora thrusted his fingers in and out; slowly at first but then moved faster, causing Kairi to grit her teeth and make short, pleasurable sounds. Her breathing was sporadic and she became weaker in his presence as he completely dominated her—something she definitely was not used to with him. Sora enjoyed this and forced his fingers in for one last blow before going into the _real thing_.

"D-D-Don't... stop..."

"Didn't plan on it." Immediately after, he entered inside of her and she yelled out; both in pain and pleasure. Sora spread her legs out a little more and pushed further inside of Kairi, thrusting back and forth as fast as he could. Kairi's head turned every which way as she tried to refrain from being too loud, but it was so amazing that that didn't last very long and she gasped out and tried to at least breathe properly. Sora could feel the sweat dripping down his face as his body hit hers every time; he was getting rougher as he went and was really starting to feel himself wanting to just explode, but he didn't allow that just yet. He was no longer the two minute man; he wanted to show Kairi how a _real_ man handled a woman, even if this was only his first time trying.

_'I... do... love her...'_

Repeating this in his head only made him become more aggressive. Kairi felt like she was ready to collapse; Sora was still going? It was so incredible that she never wanted it to end. If she could be with Sora like this for the rest of her life, all of her problems would fade away and she would finally be happy. Sora had similar thoughts, but he wasn't really able to concentrate on them.

"Sora... SORA..."

"I... love it... when you... say my... name..." He pushed as far as he could, nearly causing both of them to reach their climax. Kairi's legs were aching from being spread out, but she didn't care. She cried out and gasped; Sora was panting. He adjusted her a little and then kept going. He was losing his grip on her; the pleasure was amazing.

_'I don't know what will happen after this... but right now... I just want to take her...'_

_'Ahh... I can feel it...'_

Sora fell on top of her but kept thrusting. He tried to kiss her in between breaths, but they were both so in sync with each other that they were nearly ready to finish.

_'Should I... just do it inside of her?'_

"Oh... oh my god! Sora!" An immense amount of pleasure overcame Kairi as she reached her orgasm. At that very moment, Sora gasped out and felt himself burst inside of Kairi. He clutched the sheets as it made him practically helpless on her. Kairi felt the same way, but had a little bit more control than he did. Sora's movements became slower and he finally pulled out of her, completely exhausted. They both lay there and tried to regain their breath. Kairi ran her fingers through Sora's hair as he lay on top of her.

"Sora... that was... wow..."

"Hehee..." Sora nudged her nose with his and smiled. "So you liked it?"

"I... loved it..."

Sora rolled off of her and made himself comfortable next to her. Kairi rested her head on his chest. This was the best night she had ever had.

"I love you so much..."

Sora simply nodded.

o.o.o

The next morning, Kairi woke up in an empty bed. She looked around; her clothes were on the floor and she was still naked. She was immediately reminded of the night before; she recalled falling asleep in Sora's arms. It was truly an amazing night.

But where was he now?

She didn't see his clothes, nor was the bathroom occupied. Kairi put on her pink robe and some underwear and went into the hallway, only to be met by Axel.

"Damn, y'all were so _loud_ last night. I could barely sleep!"

Kairi's face went crimson red. "Umm... do you know where Sora went...?"

"Oh, he left like two hours ago in a hurry. Woke me up."

"He... left?"

"Yeah, how rude, right? I at least stay with my one night stands til ten." Axel shrugged and walked into his room.

"O-O-One... night... stand?!"

Kairi suddenly felt really sick. Had Sora _really_ just left her after such a wonderful night?

She had no way to contact him.

She had no way to ask him... _why_?

She felt used...

Kairi heard the front door click and open. Hopeful, she ran over to it, only to see Roxas walking inside. Someone was behind him—presumably his brother.

But Kairi didn't care. She was about to break down. Her knees gave in, she fell to floor and cried her eyes out.

o.o.o

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** So... uh... that just happened.

I was a little worried about writing a lemon; I still feel like it was a little soft but nevertheless, I hope that you enjoyed it. I was planning this specifically for Sora and Kairi, because really, who cares about the others?

Please leave a **review**!

Peace!


	26. In The End

**A/N: **When I picture this story, I think of it like a Korean drama. (Now you know why it's so depressing). So the first part of this chapter will be the night before, around the same time that Sora and Kairi were _getting it on_. -wink- and don't ask me who Ventus' wife is. I don't know. I made her up. (Unless you want to suggest someone... and Aqua is already taken).

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Six

o.o.o

_"This one's for the happiness I'll be wishing you forever..."_

o.o.o

After an awkward car ride to Ventus' hotel, Roxas followed him up to his room, shivering. Ventus had given him a towel and that was all he had to cover himself.

"Take a shower, then we'll talk." Ventus said to him as he opened the door.

"About what?" Roxas grunted as he went towards the bathroom.

Ventus took some clothes out of his dresser and handed it to him. "Stuff."Roxas rolled his eyes and shut the bathroom door.

_'What the hell is he doing here...? I haven't seen or spoken to him in years.'_

Roxas didn't exactly have the best relationship with his family. He stopped talking to them the moment that he turned eighteen. His brother tried contacting him several times since then and he never really understood why.

Roxas showered, got dressed and took some time to blow dry his hair so he could put off his conversation a little longer, but eventually, he would have to come out.

Like now.

"Took you long enough." Ventus said. "My wife can go faster than that."

"Your wife?" Roxas wasn't one to keep up with his brother's life.

"Yeah, I've been married for three years."

"Aren't you like, thirty-one?"

"Yes, so?"

"Tch." Roxas sat on the other bed. "So what do you want?"

"Well... I'll get to the point. Dad needs you to take over the auto shop."

"No." Roxas said sternly. Ventus gave him a sympathetic look.

"I would do it, but... you know that I'm no good with cars. Plus, we're kind of... expecting a child." A blush formed across his face. "I just can't."

"Good for you, but like I said, no way."

"But you know _everything _about that stuff. You wouldn't have any problems-"

"Ventus, I haven't seen or heard from any of you in nine years. For you to come here and beg me to suddenly drop everything and come back home because _dad_ wants me to... It's just not going to happen. Unless he's dying, I couldn't care less about what he wants."

Ventus cleared his throat and stared at the ground. "That's... the thing. Dad has cancer."

"Very funny."

"I'm serious!" Ventus yelled; surprised at himself for getting so heated. "Besides, what do you have here? I've done some research on you. I know what you've been doing and to tell you the truth, it's getting you nowhere."

"How do you-"

"I have my connections." Ventus interrupted. He sighed and then his voice became a little softer. "I know that you enjoyed working in the shop when you were younger. If you could just put aside your bitter feelings and do this for the sake of the family, it would really help us all out. That shop was dad's dream. He worked so hard to keep it running and it was doing really well for a long time. Mom, dad and I all believe that you have the potential to keep it going and getting it back on track. Just think about it."

"Yeah, it was _his_ dream. Not mine."

"What was yours, then?" Ventus inquired.

Roxas was stumped; he couldn't answer him. Ever since being with Kairi, Roxas had lost sight of everything he ever wanted to do. By putting his own life on hold, he really didn't have any ambitions now.

Ventus reached over and turned off the lamp. "Just sleep on it."

"When... would you need me to leave?" Roxas asked in a low, muffled tone. Ventus blinked a few times.

"Uh... as soon as possible, honestly. We could leave tomorrow."

"I'll think about it."

o.o.o

Sora woke up around five in the morning. His arm was wrapped around Kairi's stomach and they were still naked.

_'What... happened...?'_

Sora quietly slipped out of the bed and found his boxers. He gathered the rest of his clothes and got dressed without waking her up.

_'Did we really...?'_

He shuddered and tip toed over to the door. It was locked, which was a little confusing to him at first. Kairi was sound asleep. He opened it and quickly shut it again. Just before he reached the front door, Axel stopped him. He was sipping from a coffee mug and reading the paper.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Y-Yeah." Sora rushed out the door.

As he trotted down the stairs, he tried to recall what exactly happened last night. They must have had sex, considering the spooning in the bed, but Sora thought that it wasn't like him at all. Did he really drink that much?

He arrived at Riku's house about thirty minutes later. Sora jumped in the shower and washed himself off for what seemed like hours. Why did he feel so gross? Why was he so disgusted with himself?

After Sora was done, he crawled into his bed and slept for a few hours.

o.o.o

Roxas and Axel exchanged a few texts; he wanted to make sure that Sora wasn't there anymore. After Axel confirmed it, he and Ventus left the hotel room.

"So, what's your decision?" Ventus asked eagerly.

"I don't know."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived back at the apartment. A little nervous, Roxas went up the stairs slowly. He was really considering going with his brother, but he wanted to see how Kairi would react. If she asked him to stay, he would.

But he wasn't counting on it.

"This is actually a pretty nice place." Ventus said behind him. They finally reached the fifth floor. Roxas pulled out his key and unlocked the door.

Upon opening it, he saw Kairi there—tears filled her eyes and she was on the floor. Roxas' mouth gaped open and he went over to her. Ventus came in and shut the door; a little confused as to what was going on. Kairi wept while Roxas wrapped his arms around her.

"What happened?" Ventus asked. "Why is she crying?"

"That guy left early this morning." Axel appeared. "I don't know what his deal is... making a poor girl like her cry."

"Sora _left_?" Roxas repeated, not sure how surprised he should be about it.

"Yeah. Hit it and quit it. Flew the coop. Whatever you wanna call it. It was a dick move."

"Wait... you and Sora...?" Roxas gave Kairi a defying look.

"He... gave me... the best night... of my life... and then... just..."

Roxas cringed at the mental image in his head. Ventus just stood there, one eyebrow raised. Axel turned his attention to him.

"Nice to see ya, man."

"Yeah..."

Roxas lifted Kairi up and sat her on the couch where Sora previously was. She only cried harder. However, Roxas had grown numb to her emotional state and wanted to tell her about his current issue.

"Kairi, I think I will have to leave for a while."

"Leave? Where are you going?" Axel interrupted.

"My dad is sick. I'm going to need to go back home." Roxas clarified, but he didn't even know if Kairi was even paying attention. He waited a moment to see if she would say something, but she just kept crying. A little irritated, Roxas stood up. "If you don't want me to go, tell me now. If not, I'm leaving after I'm done packing."

"Wait... you're... leaving...?"She sniffled.

_'Yup, she wasn't listening...'_

"How long... will you be... gone?"

"Probably forever."

"...why?"

Roxas didn't like to repeat himself. He was getting frustrated with her.

"Because I have to. But if you tell me no, I will stay here with you."

"It's a lost cause." Axel shrugged and walked off. Roxas glared at him.

"Why are you asking me this now...? Can't you see that I'm-"

"Did you take your medicine today?" Roxas cut her off. Kairi shook her head. Roxas got up and went over to the counter. He got her a glass of water and a pill, went back over to her and handed it to her.

"I... don't want... it..."

"You need it."

"Do you want me to stand outside?" Ventus asked, feeling very out of place.

"No, I'm almost done. Kairi, yes or no?"

"So... your dad is really sick?"

Roxas nodded.

"I guess... you should... go to him..."

A little disappointed but not the least bit surprised, Roxas sighed and stood up. Kairi hesitatingly took her pill and gulped it down with some water. Roxas turned to his brother.

"I'll just be a minute."

Finally realizing what was happening, Kairi shot up and ran after Roxas. She hugged him from behind and cried.

"I'm sorry that you're never happy, Roxas... it's all my fault..."

Roxas said nothing. Kairi pulled away from him. Before he opened the door to their bedroom, he said, "You can stay here with Axel. I really hope that you get better, Kairi."

"Hey, don't pin her on me!" Axel called from his room.

Roxas looked at the bed that he shared with Kairi and noticed that the sheets were messed up. With his current knowledge, he knew exactly what happened the night before. It felt like karma all over again. He did the same thing in Kairi and Sora's bed back then.

Roxas pulled his suitcase out of the closet and started putting the little amount of clothes that he had inside. He gathered his things in the bathroom. He couldn't believe that he was actually leaving Kairi. It was a little frightening—he didn't know what would come of it. He didn't even know how long he could go without seeing her... talking to her... holding her...

Kairi watched in the doorway; it seemed like her medicine was taking effect. Roxas checked one last time for any missing items and then went over to the door. He set his suitcase down next to him and wrapped Kairi in a tight embrace.

"It really has to be _him_..."

"Huh?"

Roxas looked Kairi in the eyes and smiled warmly at her. He moved her hair out of her face and pressed his lips on her forehead.

"I truly wish you the best, Kai."

He picked his bag up and walked past her. Taking a few deep breaths, this was way harder than he thought. A tear rolled down his cheek. When he entered the living room, Ventus got up and noticed his state, but said nothing about it.

"L-Let's go."

Kairi turned around in the doorway. Was this really happening? Was she really never going to see Roxas again?

"R-Roxas..."

But she wasn't loud enough.

The front door closed.

o.o.o

Sora joined Riku and Namine out in the backyard. Namine was hanging up some laundry and Ken was helping her, while Riku sunbathed. Sora pulled up a chair next to him.

"So where were you last night? You didn't come home like I told you to."

"Riku, I barely remember anything that I said or did last night..."

"Phew. That's good, because you said some pretty crazy things."

"Like... what?" Sora asked out of curiosity. Any explanation for why he woke up next to Kairi would have sufficed, other than the fact that he was extremely wasted.

"I don't even know if I should repeat it. But does Roxas _really_ have a kid?"

"Damn... that was supposed to be a secret..."

Namine overheard their conversation and listened in.

"A secret? Did Roxas ask you to keep that secret or something?"

"N-No. Xion did."

"He had a kid with Xion?!" Riku sat up in shock. Sora nodded his head.

"But he doesn't know. Xion doesn't want him to for some reason."

"Psh... so he really did cheat on Kairi. Serves her right."

Namine finished hanging up the clothes and came over to them. They kept their eyes on Ken as they talked.

"That's crazy." Namine added to the conversation, even if it was a little late.

"So where were you last night?" Riku drilled, hoping he didn't confirm his suspicions.

"I... um..."

"Kairi's?"

"Look... I was extremely drunk..."

Namine gasped. "So you _did_ go over there? Sora, what were you thinking? Or... not thinking?!"

"I... woke up... next to her..."

"What?!" Riku smacked Sora in the arm.

"I think... we did something... and I feel really stupid..."

"Great, just great. So what did she say when you woke up?" Riku shuddered at the thought.

"She didn't say anything... because... I left at five in the morning... when she was still sleeping..."

Namine slapped him this time, but in the face.

"Hey! Why do you guys keep hitting me?!"

"Because you're an idiot!" Riku went to hit him again, but Sora dodged. "Argh, that's it. Give me your phone."

"Why? I don't have it on me."

"Then go and _get it_." Riku glared.

Sora complied and went down to the basement. He looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. He checked his pant pockets from the jeans he wore the night before, but it wasn't in there either.

"Oh shit..."

Sora ran back up the stairs and went outside. "Hey, call my phone. I don't know where it is." He seemed very nervous. Riku got out his phone and called over and over again as Sora searched all throughout the house.

It wasn't there.

o.o.o

Kairi sat alone in the living room. She felt something buzzing beneath her. Kairi dug in between the couch cushions and found the source.

It was Sora's cell phone.

Riku's name was on the screen.

Kairi gulped and hesitated before answering it. She finally just pressed the button and put the phone to her ear.

"H-Hello...?"

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Let's play spot the KH reference again!

I love Axel in this. He's like a comedy relief.

Tell me what you think of this chapter through a lovely **review**!

I can't believe that there's only 10-12ish chapters left. Maybe I'll finish this before my birthday in the beginning of March!

I hope everyone has an awesome day! Don't forget to write something in the box below!


	27. Old Friends

**A/N:** After re-reading some of JmtT, I noticed that I never gave Roxas a last name... so... random last name insert!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Seven

o.o.o

Riku heard a voice coming from the phone instead of ringing sounds. He put it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"...Hi..."

"Give me the phone." Namine grabbed it from him. "Hey, Kairi."

Kairi greeted her nervously. It was awkward.

"I'm going to come and get Sora's phone, if that's okay." Namine told her.

"Uhh... sure. Can you... bring him too...?"

"I don't think he wants to come."

Her words hit Kairi hard, but she took a few deep breaths before speaking again. "Okay." They hung up.

Namine stood up and stretched. "Well, I'll be back soon." Riku glared at her profusely.

"Did you find it?" Sora appeared.

"Yeah, Kairi has it."

Sora blushed. "Damn... I don't want to-"

"I'll go get it. Besides, I wanted to talk with her anyway... or at least try to. Where does she live?"

"Uhh... Sun Set Valley Apartments... or something like that."

"I think you should just get a new phone. You know she's going to have your number now, right?" Riku glanced over at Sora, who was trying to avoid any form of eye contact. Namine walked by him and went inside. Ken noticed this and followed her.

"Mommy, where are you going?" He asked as he watched her put her shoes on.

"Uncle Sora left something over at a friend's house. I'm going to get it."

"Can I come too?"

Namine smiled and rustled her son's hair. "No, dear. You stay here with daddy and Uncle Sora."

"But daddy won't pay attention to me."

Namine sighed. It really hurt that Riku wouldn't spend more time with his own child and she was starting to see how much that affected him. Sora acted more like a father to him. Still, she left the house and headed towards the apartment.

o.o.o 

Just as Riku suspected, Kairi had already added Sora's number to her phone and vice versa. Curious, she snooped through his phone. He had pictures of Ken, Namine, Riku and some of the beach, but none of her. A little disappointed, Kairi set his phone down. The apartment was very quiet. Axel must have been asleep in his room because she didn't see him leave.

Was Roxas _really_ gone?

For the past two years, Kairi had seen Roxas almost every single day. She didn't want to believe that he would be gone for good. It just felt weird and made her a little sad.

Lonely, too.

She never really appreciated him when he was around. Even though he was the reason that she was in the predicament she was in now, she knew that he truly did care for her in a way that no one else—not even Sora did. He held her when she cried, kept her from taking her own life and loved her unconditionally despite all of her terrible choices and depression. He stuck with her. She was so used to crying on his shoulder that she wasn't sure what to do now.

_'Did he get tired of me...?'_

Roxas truly was a great friend to her.

Unfortunately for him, that was _all_ he was in her opinion... and that made her feel bad.

_'What am I going to do if I get one of my... episodes again...? And he's not here to stop me...?'_

Kairi really worried about her own mental state. She didn't trust herself.

Roxas held her together.

Could Sora do the same? With his notions of her now, she wasn't sure if he even wanted to be around her. But he was so confusing. Last night was...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

_'She's here already?'_

o.o.o

Ventus and Roxas entered Twilight Town. Roxas never thought that he would be coming back here so soon. They went into a huge parking lot and walked down a few isles, looking for Ventus' car. Five minutes later, they found it.

"Let's go to the hospital first." Ventus said to him.

"Huh? W-Why?"

"Because I need to give my wife notice that you will be staying with us for a while."

"She doesn't know that I'm here with you?"

Ventus shook his head and pulled out his phone. After he was done texting her, he started the car. "I have to stop by the supermarket on the way home."

"Fine..."

o.o.o

Namine stood at the door; both were engaged in yet another awkward silence. Kairi allowed her inside. Namine observed the apartment; it was fairly clean and quiet.

"How... are you...?" Kairi asked shyly as she hesitated to give up Sora's phone.

"I'm okay." Namine saw Kairi hiding his phone behind her back. "Listen, Kai-"

"You don't have to say anything. I know that we're not friends anymore..."

"Actually," Namine tried to ignore what she said, "...I wanted to talk to you about that. I feel like I didn't consider your feelings well enough back then..." she paused, "...I mean, I said I would always be there for you and then..."

"You have a family. I know that you don't want someone like me around your son. It's okay, I understand. Besides, Riku hates me."

"Although my son does come first, you do know that Riku is only upset because-"

"Because I hurt his best friend." Kairi finished.

Namine took a few moments to respond as she gathered her thoughts, "...Do you truly regret it?"

"...More than anything..."

Namine paced back in forth and pondered. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do what she was thinking, but mentioned it anyway. "Do you want to meet me later...?"

"Where...?" Kairi inquired, a little surprised that Namine was asking this.

"Hmm... at that Italian restaurant..."

"The one I used to work at?"

"No, the other one... near the mall."

_'Please don't catch on...'_ Namine thought.

"The... mall...?" Kairi considered it and then nodded her head. "Sure."

"I'll let you know a time later." Namine was starting to look suspicious, so that was her cue to leave. She went towards the door, almost forgetting why she came here in the first place. "Oh, the phone..."

"...Right." Kairi handed it over.

"Thanks."

"So... is Sora happy at your house?" Kairi asked nervously.

"He seems to be. Ken loves him."

"Oh..."

"Well, see ya." Namine left and hurried down the stairwell. Once she was far enough away, she called Riku.

"Hey, did you get it?" Riku asked.

"Yeah. Is Sora there?"

"No, he left for work. He said if you can, just drop it off there. But it's not a priority."

"I will." Namine said quickly and hung up. She went towards the mall.

o.o.o

Roxas and Ventus arrived at the hospital where their father was staying. Ventus reached for the flower bouquet in the back seat and then got out of the car, but Roxas couldn't. Ventus went around and knocked on his window.

"Come on."

Roxas didn't want to see his father. He couldn't believe that he was even here. His nerves got the best of him and he refused to move. Ventus opened his door and sighed.

"He's not mad at you."

"He has to be... I basically abandoned you guys..."

"Just get out of the car."

Roxas slowly walked a few feet behind his brother as they made their way up to their father's room. Ventus greeted the nurses as they walked by, but Roxas' gaze was locked on the floor. He nearly ran into Ventus when they arrived.

Ventus looked through the small window. Sure enough, Mr. Yonehara was asleep. Before he pulled the handle, he glanced back at Roxas, who was shaking in his boots. "You might not have to say anything to him, after all."

"Huh?"

Ventus opened the door and walked inside. Roxas stood there for a moment, then slowly made his way over to his brother, who was now standing over the bed.

"Dad..." Roxas felt a mixture of emotions as he stared at his father for the first time in so many years. He was speechless.

"He's been here for six months." Ventus murmured; a hint of sadness in his voice. "He just... sleeps the days away. I can't imagine how lonely he must-"

"I don't want to hear it." Roxas turned around. "I can't take this."

Ventus gave him a sympathetic look. He knew how stubborn his brother was and he didn't expect any other reaction. He took the dead flowers out of the vase next to the bed and replaced them with the new ones that he brought. "We'll have to come back another time."

They left the hospital and headed for the supermarket, just like Ventus said they would.

o.o.o

Namine entered Pac Sun. Sora was at the cash register helping a customer. After he was done, he greeted her.

"Here." Namine gave him his phone.

"Thanks so much..." Sora went through it for a moment and then glanced back down at Namine, "...how is she?"

"Why do you want to know?" Namine winked at him.

"J-Just! ...Never mind..."

"By the way, what time do you get off today?"

"Four, why?"

"Well, Ken and I are going out for dinner... want to meet us after?"

"Just you and Ken?"

"Yeah, Riku doesn't want to." Namine lied.

"Umm, okay."

o.o.o

Roxas and Ventus entered the supermarket. Ventus seemed to race through the isles and Roxas had trouble keeping up with him. Ventus threw different items in the cart as they went by, seemingly not even paying attention to the price or anything. Ventus quickly turned into the next isle and almost ran into someone else.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry, is the little girl okay?" Ventus apologized.

"Ienzo?" Roxas looked past his brother and noticed the familiar face—and the little girl who was now crying.

"Shit... um... hey!" Ienzo greeted, rubbing the back of his head and then proceeding to try and soothe the little girl.

"Oh, isn't this your friend, Roxas?" Ventus asked.

"Yeah, Xion's brother." Roxas eyed the little girl. "So... when did this happen?" He inquired over the noise.

"Oh, she's my niece." Ienzo had to be careful with his words; he may have been able to tell everyone else but he knew that Xion would murder him if he revealed it to Roxas.

"Xion had a baby?!" Roxas yelled.

"Uhh... yeah... with... this... one guy..." Ienzo said anxiously.

Roxas walked over to him and took a closer look at Ayaka. She stared at him, amidst her tears and quieted down a little. Ienzo gulped.

"She's cute."

All of a sudden, Roxas felt a little weird... as if he had some sort of connection with her. It was a random, funny feeling that was shaken away when Ventus interrupted him.

"My wife doesn't like to wait..." he whispered.

"Are you whipped?" Roxas asked. Ventus merely smiled.

"Umm... well let me give you Xion's phone number. I'm sure that she wouldn't mind... hearing from you..." Ienzo was really tired of her hiding this from him and felt that Ayaka definitely deserved her father, so that was why he did it.

"Okay..."

o.o.o 

Xion dragged her feet on her way home from the Family Mart. She was completely exhausted.

Lately, she had considered just telling Roxas and not even caring that he had feelings for Kairi. At this point, her stress was really daunting and she just wanted her life to be easier. But even if she told him, there would be no guarantee that Roxas would even believe her.

But she knew that he was the father.

"I got what I wanted... yet I'm still miserable..." Xion sighed and stepped into her apartment. It was eerily quiet.

She looked around in each of the rooms. Ienzo and Ayaka were nowhere to be found.

In a panic, Xion pulled out her phone and called him. She hated it when she didn't know where her daughter was. At the same time, she heard the front door open and he walked in with the seven-month old. Ienzo was carrying some grocery bags.

"Oh my goodness... you scared me!" Xion went to hug Ayaka, then shot a glare at her brother. Her stress level was so high lately that she immediately would jump to conclusions, even if it was Ienzo caring for her daughter.

"My bad..." Ienzo set the grocery bags down. "By the way, guess who I ran into?"

"...Who?"

"Roxas and his brother." 

"WHAT?!"

"I gave Roxas your number." He said casually before retreating to his room. Xion was about to follow him, but Ayaka suddenly started crying.

"Damn you...!"

o.o.o

Kairi stood in front of the restaurant and waited for Namine. She was told to be here at four-thirty sharp and she was right on time, but she didn't see Namine anywhere. She started to walk around the front of the building, mostly out of boredom but was also keeping a look out.

That was when she saw him.

Sora leaned against the wall near the door and played with his phone. As soon as he looked up, he saw Kairi.

"Damn it... I knew this was a set up..."

"Sora-"

"Looks like Namine tricked both of us. In that case, I'll be going."

Kairi grabbed his hand. "Although... I didn't know that you would be here... and I thought that Namine and I would actually get our redemption... she did this... for a reason... and..."

"Kairi-"

"Sora... let's just take a walk together... please...?"

He didn't know what to do.

o.o.o

**A/N:** I feel like so much went on in this chapter, but that's okay, right?

Please **_review_**! 


	28. Counseling

**A/N:** I put up a picture of Ken and Ayaka on the KH Fanfiction Facebook page. Check it out!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Eight

o.o.o

Sora and Kairi strolled in the park, keeping a reasonable amount of distance between them. A bitter silence filled the air. It wasn't until they accidentally bumped shoulders that Sora actually said something.

"...whatever happened last night... don't think much of it. It was... a mistake."

"Shut up." Kairi blurted out. Sora gave her a baffled look. "I'm tired of you putting up this cold front. This isn't who you are at all."

"You have no idea how much I changed during my time at my uncle's house. I had a _lot_ of alone time... as well as a _lot_ of time to-" he paused and saw that Kairi had stopped a few feet behind him. Her gaze was locked on the ground. She had never looked so sad before. Sora sighed and relaxed a little. He took a few steps towards her, but stopped midway when he saw that she was crying.

Sure, Kairi had cried in front of him many times, but this time was really painful for Sora to watch and he had no idea why. Weakness overcame him and he completely forgot what they were talking about.

"I'm really, really sorry, Sora... you're one in a million and I screwed that up... I didn't see... what was in front of me..."she sniffled, "...I don't want to lose you... I'm so..." Kairi was shaking, "...so... scared..."

Sora had the urge to hug her, but he did everything in his power to refrain from doing so.

_'Maybe... she really is sincere...'_

Kairi took a few steps forward, but instead of stopping in front of him, she just kept going. Her feet wobbled beneath her and she struggled to keep a decent posture. She couldn't look Sora in the eyes. It broke her heart.

Sora followed her down the path and listened to her sniffling and crying sounds. _'She wouldn't be trying this hard if she didn't love me...'_

_'I just want him to accept my apology... Sora hating me is the worst feeling in the world...'_

They reached the pier. Kairi sat down and watched the sunset with tears in her eyes. After a few moments of hesitation, Sora sat down next to her.

"This is really hard for me. You know that, right?" he asked her.

"You did nothing wrong. It's all... my fault..."

Well, he didn't disagree with her.

"I know it sounds like I'm just throwing it under the rug or something... but I really want to move on... I want things to go back to the way they were..."

"Kairi, it's not that simple."

"...I know... but I regret everything..."

"Maybe you do... but it doesn't change how terrible I feel."

Sora's words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I trusted you, Kairi. I trusted both of you... and you both betrayed me."Sora shook his head, "You even accepted my proposal... knowing what you did..." Sora glanced over at Kairi's hand. "What did you do with that ring, anyway?"

Kairi couldn't answer him. Honestly, she had no idea where the ring was.

"It must not have been that important." Sora said finally. "You know... I had a lot of plans for our future. I never imagined that those plans would be shattered in a matter of minutes... and my life would change forever..."

By now, Kairi figured that Sora was just venting. He deserved to, even at the expense of her own feelings.

"I spent half of my life with you. You were the only girl that I ever loved. Deep down, you truly made me happy... back then. I wanted to do the same for you, but I never felt like I was good enough. I was constantly faced with the possibility of you leaving me... and I did whatever I could to keep you. But you were slipping away from me..." Sora let out a small laugh, "...and then you ended up cheating on me..."his fists tightened. "Maybe... I did deserve it."

"Don't say that..."

"No... it was inevitable. You weren't satisfied. You were bored... or whatever. I didn't try hard enough."

"No... you were wonderful... it was me who didn't see-"

"Kairi, stop lying to yourself."

"What...?"

"If we got together again, how could I guarantee that history wouldn't repeat itself?" Sora asked.

"Because... I've learned my lesson... and... I love you... only you... Sora... what can I do to prove that to you...?"

"I don't know."

"Do you... at least want to... try...?" Kairi gave him a hopeful look.

"I don't know what I want, okay?!" Sora raised his voice a little, making her jump. He stood up. "I think I should go."

"N-No..."Kairi grabbed his hand again. She lifted herself up. "Just... tell me... what I have to do..."

o.o.o

Namine stared at Sora and Kairi from across her kitchen table.

"So... you want me to basically... be your counselor?"

Sora nodded. "You're the most level headed person here and frankly, I can't decide for myself what to do. Sometimes it's nice to get a second opinion."

Namine was very surprised that Sora even brought Kairi here. Riku had already left for work for the night and Ken was asleep. She didn't expect to be in this situation, but she rolled with it.

"W-Well..." she glanced over at Kairi, who couldn't take her eyes off of the table. "First of all... you two being here... together like this... makes me think that you want to work it out."

"Maybe." Sora shrugged.

"Of course I do..." Kairi pleaded.

"In... that case..." Namine got up and went into the kitchen. She poured two wine glasses and set them down in front of them. "Drink up."

"Oh no. I'm not doing that again." Sora said.

"I don't think I can have that while I'm on this medication..." Kairi said in a low tone.

"DO IT!" Namine yelled, rattling the table in the process. Sora and Kairi exchanged nervous looks and then gulped down the wine. Namine grinned. "Perfect. I want all of the honest feelings to come out. Don't worry, I won't give you more than two drinks."

"Namine, when I said I wanted your help that didn't mean-"

"Sora," Namine said in a calm but creepy voice, "you are in my house, you will do what I say."

"Y-Yes m'am..."

Namine smiled sweetly. "Now then... we're going to do a few exercises. Hmm... I want you two to face each other and stare into each other's eyes."

Sora and Kairi blinked a few times at her. Kairi nervously glanced over at Sora, but he couldn't make eye contact with her. Namine's patience was wearing thin, so she slammed her hand on the table.

"You're so violent..." Sora said.

"Sora, look at her."

Sora's face turned red as he slowly placed his eyes on Kairi.

"Now say that you love each other."

"What?!" they both yelled in unison.

"Can't do it?"

"I... can say it all day... but... if Sora doesn't say it back... what's the point?" Kairi sighed. Sora looked away.

Namine poured them one more glass of wine.

o.o.o

Thirty minutes later, Sora was bawling on the couch while Kairi passed out at the table.

"She hurt me so much! I don't know how to forgive her!" Sora cried. Namine almost felt sorry for him.

"Man up!" she slapped his shoulder. "If you want Kairi, you have to just let it go! The past is not going to change no matter how much you want it to! I can see it, Sora... you're obviously miserable without her! You look pathetic!"

"You're mean..." Sora whined.

"Tough love. Now take her downstairs. If Ken woke up and saw her, I don't know what he would think."

"How am I supposed to get her down the stairs when I'm like this?" Sora tried to stand, but just fell back on the couch. Namine crossed her arms and shook her head.

"You're such a lightweight... I guess I overdid it a little."

"Yeah, you did!"

o.o.o

It was kind of hard for Namine to explain to Riku why Kairi was there when he came home around four in the morning.

"You see... Sora asked me for help... so..."

"Is my opinion meaningless to you? I don't want to see her!"

"Riku-"

"If it happens again, Sora is moving out."

o.o.o

Sora and Kairi lay in his bed together, but he kept his space. Kairi hadn't woken up since the wine knocked her out. How Sora managed to get her downstairs was a mystery. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

_'How am I going to get past these feelings...?'_

_'I do want to be with her... but I don't know how to trust her again...'_

Kairi started to snore. Sora glanced over at her and couldn't help but chuckle. She was out.

_'I used to have to wear earplugs because she was so loud...'_

_'Three, two... one...'_

Kairi positioned herself on her side, squirmed around for a bit and then became quiet again.

_'In many ways... she hasn't changed at all...'_

Sora could feel his face getting hot. He tried to rid of the lump in his throat as he fought the tears. He felt like a complete jerk.

_'Kairi's right... this... isn't me...'_

_'I have to let these feelings go...'_

Sora scooted closer to her and hoped that he didn't wake her. Shaking, he placed his arm around her stomach and pressed his body against her back. He didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it, but to him... it felt right. Sora made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. Her hair smelled like cherry blossoms—just like it used to. He was surprised at how relaxed he felt when he held her.

And maybe—just maybe, it was the start of something new.

He didn't know how he would feel tomorrow, but right now, he wanted to stay right here—in this moment...

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Pure SoKai chapter for ya! Don't worry, there's plenty of drama left. =D

I'm thinking about putting a link to the story playlist in my profile. Would you guys like to see that?

**Review** and have a great day!


	29. Mirrors

**A/N: **I've come to the conclusion that part of the reason why this story is so dark is because I watch too many Investigation Discovery shows. Pardon me.

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Twenty-Nine

o.o.o

_"C__ause I don't wanna lose you now__**  
**__I'm lookin' right at the other half of me__**  
**__The vacancy that sat in my heart__**  
**__Is a space that now you hold__**  
**__Show me how to fight for now__**  
**__And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy__**  
**__Comin' back here to you once I figured it out__**  
**__You were right here all along__**..."**_

o.o.o

"Uncle Sora!"

Sora grunted; he was half awake when he heard the two year old coming down the stairs. His arm was still placed around Kairi. Before he knew it, Ken was already tugging on his shirt from the side of the bed.

In a panic, Sora quickly flipped over and saw Ken just staring at him in confusion.

"Uhh... hey... kiddo..." Sora mumbled, still trying to wake up.

"Mommy and daddy were hugging in the shower and told me to come down here."

Sora gave the child an astounded look. Ken stood on his tip toes and saw Kairi behind him. "Who is she? Is she your wife?"

"S-She's..." Sora's face went red, "...my... friend!"

"So you can sleep with your friends? I thought only people like mommy and daddy slept in the same bed. I wish I had a friend to sleep with..."

The seemingly innocent comment caused Sora to escort Ken back upstairs. Namine was already in the kitchen making some coffee. Sora could hear the blow dryer in the background.

"Is she still here?" Namine asked as Sora went back towards the basement door.

"Y-Yeah."

"Bring her up here. I'm going to make breakfast."

Sora was baffled. "But... what about Riku?"

"We talked about it."

"...In the shower?" Sora asked skeptically. Namine blushed.

'"I can be... persuasive."

o.o.o

Roxas' first night at his brother's house was fairly quiet, with the exception of the television blaring in the other room for the majority of the night. Ventus liked to live well beneath his means, so the walls were thin and the house was small, even though Ventus had a very well paying job being a manager at a cell phone store. Roxas wasn't sure exactly how his wife, Anna felt about it; she was kind of shy. In a way, Roxas enjoyed his new found peace, but at the same time, he worried about Kairi like crazy.

Then he told himself that Sora was with her, so she must be happy.

Regret haunted him.

"Kairi was never happy with me. What a waste..."

Roxas wondered what to do with his life now, other than the requirements that were suddenly thrown on him by his family. Hayner and Olette probably didn't want to see him. Aqua and Terra were friends to Kairi more than he was.

Then—there was Xion.

"I can't believe that she has a daughter. That's insane..."

He wondered exactly what happened to her after their little... incident. At the time, Roxas felt hopeless about Kairi and just let Xion have her way with him.

More regret.

He felt bad. In a way, it was like using her... no matter what her reasons for it were. Ever since he met Xion, she always had to listen to his frustrations about Kairi. Why she did what she did was baffling to him.

It was embarrassing and Roxas was pretty sure that it would be awkward if they were to meet again.

And then—there was that little girl.

"What was that feeling that I felt when I looked at her...?"

All of his crazy thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. Ventus popped his head in.

"Oh, you're awake. Mom wants to meet us. Get dressed."

"Why do you keep surprising me with these things?"

"Because she's in the kitchen. Hurry up."

Roxas threw a shirt at the door, but missed. "Damn..."

o.o.o

Kairi sat up in the bed and could hear footsteps coming down the stairs, only to reveal Sora. He glanced at her, blushed and turned his head.

"...Good morning..."

Maybe today would be different.

After a delayed silence, Sora said, "Morning."

A sense of relief filled her.

"Namine... wants you... to come upstairs... to eat."

"...Really?"

Sora didn't respond and just headed up the stairs. Kairi scrambled to get out of the bed and followed him.

_'He held me last night...'_ Kairi smiled to herself.

Kairi knew that she shouldn't come on so strong to her fragile ex lover. She wanted to work it out as quickly as possible, but she knew that wasn't going to work. The problem was that she always wanted to hug him or kiss him. She wanted to convince him that he was the one for her. Kairi wanted Sora to forgive her for her terrible mistakes.

Namine had already set the table. Ken was settled into a high chair and was chowing down on the pancakes.

"Hey, you two." Namine cracked a smile as Sora and Kairi made their way over to the table.

Kairi wanted to thank Namine, but she didn't know how. It really felt like Namine helped them improve their relationship.

Riku came into the room. He glanced at Kairi and then just tried his best to ignore her. Namine mouthed a 'thank you' to him before sitting down at the table.

"This looks great." Kairi said as she eyed at the bacon and eggs on her plate.

Riku sat next to his son and started eating. He was eerily quiet.

In fact, everyone was. Only the sound of forks clanking with the plates were heard.

_'We used to laugh all the time...'_ Namine thought.

Sora's elbow bumped into Kairi's arm. She had forgotten that he was left handed and she was right handed.

"S-Sorry." Sora said in a low tone.

"Mommy," Ken broke the silence, "I'm done. Can I be excused?"

"Me too." Riku helped Ken out of his high chair and followed the energetic child back to his room. Sora, Kairi and Namine just sat there.

"I'm going to go and talk to him." Sora was about to stand up, but Namine stopped him.

"No. He just... worries about you, Sora. It's natural for a best friend. No offense, Kairi."

"None taken..."

"Well, I'll take Kairi home... again." Sora finished his meal and took his plate over to the sink. He washed it off and set it in the dishwasher. "Thanks a lot, Namine."

After Sora and Kairi left, Namine retreated back to Ken's room where Riku was playing with him. She stood at the door and watched as Riku interacted with him; Ken was happy and laughing. Riku noticed her.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Riku told the kid and went over to Namine. They went across the hall and into their room.

"Riku, that was nice." Namine said. But he changed the subject.

"I know that Sora can't give Kairi up that easily."

"Yeah..."

"So... if... by chance... they were to..." Riku stuttered; it was as if this was one of the hardest things for him to say, "...get b-back together, I don't know if... I would be okay with it. Well," he straightened up, "I'm obviously not okay with it now..."

"Sora understands. But I really think that Kairi is remorseful."

"What happened to Roxas?"

"I don't know. I didn't see him at the apartment when I went."

"Hmph... well if I ever see him again, I'm going to knock him out."

Namine giggled.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Riku asked defensively. She just left the room.

o.o.o

After much hesitation, Roxas finally came out of his room. Tears filled his mothers eyes as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I... haven't seen you... in..."

"A long time, I know."

"Why... did you leave us...?"

Ventus and his wife turned their heads as Roxas tried to come up with a proper response. However, he was rendered speechless.

"Anyway, are we ready to go?" Ventus asked.

"Now where?" Roxas glared at him.

"To Anna's baby shower."

Roxas eased up a little; he was expecting him to say the hospital. Mrs. Yonehara clung to him as they left the house.

o.o.o

A huge fight broke out in the middle of the prison cafeteria. Vanitas stood in the background and waited for his opportunity. There were about fifteen men—probably gang members—involved in the confrontation and the officers were focused on stopping it before anything bad happened. In a split second, Vanitas slipped out the door right before they blew the whistle. He ran as quickly as he could. He knew that at least some people would see him, but right now he was determined to escape. The majority of the officers had gone to the cafeteria, so at least he had a chance.

Vanitas raced down the hallway. Two cops were coming his way, so he turned the corner and hid, trying to keep his breathing under control. The exit was up ahead. Miraculously, they didn't notice that he was there and just hurried down to the cafeteria.

The doors were right in front of him.

o.o.o

Sora stood at the door in front of Kairi's apartment.

"Do you... want to... come in...?"

Yes, he did.

"I... have to get ready for work." He lied. Today was his day off, but she didn't know that.

"Oh..." her eyes lowered, "okay..."

A wave of guilt overcame Sora. He watched as Kairi stalled in front of him to go inside. Finally, she turned the knob and stepped into the apartment.

"I guess... I'll see you later..."

"...Yeah..."

Kairi slowly closed the door. Once it latched, she took her hand off of the handle and stood there.

Sora was on the other side, staring at the door.

He felt lost.

Incomplete.

...empty.

_'I don't want to leave... not yet...'_

Without thinking, Sora opened the door, nearly hitting Kairi in the face with it. She gasped and lost her balance, but Sora caught her and then pulled her in and hugged her tightly. Kairi could feel him shaking and she wasn't quite sure what was happening. Sora looked into her eyes and cupped her cheek. Instinctively, Kairi closed her eyes. Sora leaned in and kissed her.

It was bittersweet.

They parted from each other, but didn't dare look away.

"Kairi... I..."

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Please leave a **review**~! I wonder who will be the 200th reviewer?


	30. The One Thing I Got Right

**A/N:** In this chapter, I will use some final fantasy characters that you should know, but if you don't, look 'em up, k? Haha!

Also, I just have to say that Vanitas is important in this story because without him... eh... dang, I can't tell you... anyway, read on!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty

o.o.o

_"I know I let you down, but it's not like that now...  
'cause I will never let you go...  
I will be all that you want  
I'll get myself together 'cause you keep me from falling apart...  
All my life I'll be with you forever  
To get you through the day and make everything okay..."_

o.o.o

He was _free_.

Fortunately for Vanitas, the prison was not out in the middle of nowhere like most were. It was next to a major highway. However, his attire sort of gave him away, so he tried to come up with a plan. They may or may not have noticed that he was gone yet.

Vanitas had no idea _how_ he was able to escape; it was pure luck. He was astounded at the amount of attention that fight received. He took a chance and it worked.

Now he could get his revenge.

He discarded his orange shirt so that he was only wearing a white T-shirt and the orange pants. Vanitas stood on the side of the road. Barely any cars passed by.

That's when he thought of it.

He knew that some good friends of his father lived a few miles away. If he could crash with them for a while, he would be set.

However, they were mafia members and not _all_ of them were too fond of his father.

Vanitas was already taking plenty of risks, anyway. He didn't want to stall around for much longer, so he headed in that direction; trying to hide himself behind the trees.

_'Kairi...'_

For the past four months, Vanitas was obsessed with the idea of kidnapping Kairi again and making her, Roxas _and_ Sora pay. He didn't like it when he wasn't in control. He _needed_ to be in control. Sora completely stomped on his pride. Roxas was just a pain in the ass. They _all _needed to be punished, but he didn't feel like he could do it alone. If he could find the right people, they would be dead by tomorrow.

Vanitas was consumed with his own anger.

He needed a release—and _fast_.

His legs started to hurt; being in a cell doing nothing for so long was really taking its toll. He wished that he had some way to contact these people so that they could possibly pick him up.

It was going to be a _long_ day.

o.o.o

Sora stood frozen in front of Kairi. He had no idea what came over him; he had been pretty reckless with her lately and it was really starting to scare him. She looked up at him—he could tell that she too was a little frightened.

"Kairi... I..."

Just then, Axel appeared in the hallway. He was dressed nicely, as if he was going somewhere.

"Oh, I didn't know you two were here." he quickly walked past them and put on his shoes. "Don't worry, I'll be out of here in a jippy." With that, he left.

"I... should go too." Sora said. "Besides... I don't want to be here when Roxas is here."

"He... left me." Kairi admitted.

"Huh?"

"Something about... his dad being sick. He went back to Twilight Town..."

"Oh... still..." Sora tried to come up with the right words to say, "...I need... more time... sorry." After a long pause, he said, "I'll be going, then."

_'Don't push him...'_ Kairi thought to herself. It was really difficult for her to watch Sora leave, but she held it in.

Sora was a little surprised that Kairi didn't stop him. After a few moments, he opened the door and went out, slowly closing it behind him. He could hear Axel's singing voice echoing down the stairwell. After Sora assumed that Kairi wasn't going to come after him, he left the apartment. It felt like the wrong thing to do, but he chickened out.

Willingly kissing Kairi when he was sober was a little... scary for him. In a way, it seemed like he was forgiving her with that action. He was having trouble controlling himself around her.

_'My feelings are too strong...'_

His feelings were impairing his judgment.

_'Is she really... sorry...?'_

When he was living with his aunt and uncle, Sora swore to himself that he wouldn't take Kairi back. He swore to himself that he would refuse any advances, not trust her and turn the other cheek.

But seeing her—that was a different story.

And now, Roxas was out of the picture?

_'I wonder if she feels sad because he left...'_

Just that fact alone really confused Sora. He thought that Roxas was _obsessed_ with Kairi.

_'How could he just... leave? Did he find out about his daughter...?'_

_'Wait... why do... I... care?'_

Sora shook his crazy thoughts away and kept walking. Suddenly, his phone went off, making him jump. It was his mother.

"Hey."

"Sora, you need to come over right now."

"What? Why...?"

"You need to see this!"

"Eh... what is it...?"

"I can't say. You just have to see. Hurry up!"

o.o.o

Kairi sat alone in the empty apartment.

_'I need to figure out... something...'_

She was not going to get Sora back by crying all the time.

She knew this.

_'I used to be... so strong...'_

_'That's why he fell in love with me in the first place... isn't it?'_

_'I have to get better... I have to... stop... crying...'_

_'I've been a burden to everyone around me...'_

In the midst of everything, Kairi had lost herself. She got caught up in her emotions.

She did the unthinkable... and her entire world came crashing down.

Sora was her _world_.

He alone was enough motivation.

_'I... will... get better... for you...'_

o.o.o

Vanitas arrived at an old warehouse. After carefully checking his surroundings, he went inside, only to be decked in the stomach. Vanitas fell over and was held down.

"State your name, age and what you're doing here."

"V-Vanitas Spar... 27... I'm looking... for... Auron... and Jecht..."

"Spar?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Reno, let him in."

Vanitas lifted his head up. The guy named Reno stepped away from him. Still in pain, Vanitas stood up and saw Auron sitting in a chair smoking a cigar. The only light source came from a dimly lit one above him.

"It's Harold's boy!" another voice exclaimed. A man with scruffy, black hair came into view holding a bottle of rum.

"Jecht, what have I told you about the drinking?" Auron sighed and walked over to Vanitas. "What brings you here?" he observed the orange pants and white T-shirt.

"There... were some people that did me wrong. I need... some help..."

He was punched in the stomach once again, but this time by Auron.

"You _know_ not to come up in here with these stupid little problems of yours! We don't do anything for free!"

"What... do you want me to do? I'll do anything!" Vanitas pleaded.

"Have some mercy on him..." Jecht laughed, "...aww, did little Vanny get in a fight?"

"S-Something like that."

Auron pondered for a moment as he wandered around the dimly lit room.

"Alright, just give us the names. We'll do this _one thing_ for you... since we knew your father and all."

"Sora, Kairi and Roxas."

Auron gave him a sketchy look. Vanitas went on to describe their physical features; it wasn't hard for him to describe Sora.

"I want Kairi alive, no matter what. I don't care what happens to the other two."

"Sora Yamada?" Jecht inquired, rubbing his chin. "You want us to kill your own-"

"Jecht, quiet." Auron interrupted. "Fine."

"...by the way... I'm kind of... a fugitive now..." Vanitas mentioned, a little embarrassed.

"I figured as much. But you can't stay here." Auron said.

"Then... where?"

Auron glanced over at Reno, who immediately knew what he was going to say.

"Ohh no. I don't know him. He's your-"

"RENO!" Auron yelled, causing him to cower in fear.

"Y-Yes, sir! He can stay with me!"

"He will go with you to look for these people. Once you find them, you will inform us. Then we will get rid of them."

"Woohoo! This is going to be fun!" Jecht gulped down some more rum.

"Shut up, you stupid drunk."

o.o.o

Sora finally arrived at his parents house. The front door was already open, so he just walked inside. Mrs. Yamada greeted him immediately.

"Why won't you answer my calls? I need to see you or hear from you at least once a day!"

"I've been... busy..." he paused, "...so what do you want me to see?"

Mrs. Yamada gave him a nervous look. They went into the living room where the TV screen was paused. Mr. Yamada had an anxious look on his face. They pressed play.

_"This just in. In Twilight Town, convicted murderer Vanitas Spar has somehow escaped from prison."_

"WHAT?!" Sora yelled.

_"This man is extremely dangerous. Please be on the lookout."_

Sora was shocked to say the least.

_'Kairi... she's in... trouble...'_

"Mom, dad... thanks for showing me this... I... have to go!" Sora ran out of the house before they could even say anything.

He made it back to Namine and Riku's house twenty minutes later.

"Sora, nice to see-" Namine was cut off.

"Namine, thank you so, so much... but..."

"But what?" Riku asked, noticing the sheer terror on his best friend's face.

"...My... brother... I mean... that... guy... the one that... caused so much torture... he's... out there... somewhere... and probably looking for Kairi... I have to... go to her..."

"Sora, calm down." Riku told him.

"Your... brother?" Namine gave him a confused look.

"So it's true...?" Riku finally realized what he said as well. Sora nodded. "I thought... you were just saying a bunch of nonsense..."

"It may have sounded that way... but... gah... I can't stay here. I'm sorry... I really can't thank you two enough..."

Namine and Riku exchanged anxious looks.

"Well... if you feel like that's what you have to do..." Riku mustered, "...I can't stop you."

"T-Thanks..."

Sora hurried downstairs to pack.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** If you haven't checked out the playlist for this series in my profile yet, do so! Don't forget to leave a **review** =D 


	31. Misunderstandings

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-One

o.o.o

Kairi faced Sora in complete shock; their eyes locked on each other and the confusion setting in as she noticed his suitcase nestled beside him. Sora's face went scarlet red as he stepped into the apartment, pulling his bag behind him and taking off his shoes.

"W-What are you doing here...?" Kairi didn't mean to sound rude, but the astounding aspect was overwhelming.

"I'm... if it's okay... can I stay here...?"

These words were like music to her ears. Kairi proceeded to take his suitcase from him, much to his disapproval and dragged it off to the side. Sora stepped onto the wooden floor and the silence between them had never been louder. Sora's heart was beating out of his chest; he came here purely on impulse with the determination to protect her from harm. Remembering that little detail, Sora quickly went over and shut every curtain he could find, locked all the doors and secured the area to his liking. Kairi watched in bewilderment, yet Sora didn't want her to know why he was doing this. If Kairi find out that Vanitas was lurking out there somewhere, she would probably have a panic attack.

"Are you... hungry?" Sora asked.

"We just ate not long ago... remember?" Kairi chuckled.

"Oh... I forgot..."

"If you want... we could watch a movie?" Kairi suggested; her eyes glistened with hope. Axel had a large DVD collection that they could choose from; Kairi was sure that he wouldn't mind. Easing the tension was her main priority.

Sora spotted Kairi's phone on the table by the couch. For a strange reason, he felt obligated to let Roxas know the news, if he didn't already.

"Could I use your phone? I need... to call my mom for a second. My phone died." Sora fibbed, "Don't worry, she won't know that it's yours."

"Oh... um... sure..." Kairi handed it to him.

"I'll be right back. Pick any movie that you want." Sora smiled at her and for the first time in a very long time, it felt genuine. Sora went back into Kairi's room and closed the door, then went into the master bathroom. He went through and found Roxas' number. He had no idea why he felt like he had to warn him when he was still really mad at him.

_'Am I just... too nice?'_

o.o.o

The baby shower was finally over. Roxas, his brother, Anna and Mrs. Yonehara all went towards the car. All of a sudden, Roxas had a strange feeling that he was being watched. He spun around and scanned the area. The sound of his phone surprised him and he was even more surprised when he saw who it was. Roxas got into the back of the car, sat next to his mother and answered.

"Kairi?"

"No. It's... me."

Disappointment.

"Is something wrong?" Roxas' tone changed dramatically.

"Actually, yes. Look, I don't have a lot of time and I don't know if you've heard... but..."

"But what? Spit it out."

"Vanitas is on the loose. It happened this morning."

"WHAT?!" Roxas' outburst made everyone else in the car look at him.

"I just thought I would... let you know. Just... be careful."

"Does Kairi know?"

"No. I'm not going to tell her."

Roxas agreed wholeheartedly with Sora's decision, but he was a little confused as to why Sora was telling him this in the first place.

"I think I need to come back..."

"That's okay. I'll take care of Kairi." and with that, Sora hung up, sending Roxas into a fury.

_'What? Everything is forgiven and all of a sudden Sora wants to be the hero?!'_

"Who was that?" Ventus asked, but Roxas didn't hear him.

_'Vanitas... escaped...'_

His worry for Kairi's safety was building and he was really unsure on what to do. Could Sora really protect her all by himself? Sure, Vanitas wasn't exactly the best fighter, but Roxas felt like he would bring in reinforcements since he was so crazy. His mother tried to console him, but Roxas pulled away. As soon as they got back to the house, he ran inside.

He hated going back and forth like this, but he didn't know what he would do if Kairi were to get hurt again.

He may have given up on the idea of being with her, but that didn't mean that he didn't still love her.

"DAMN IT!"

o.o.o

Sora deleted the call to Roxas and walked out of the bathroom. Kairi was sitting on the bed; her gaze on the floor. Sora slowly went over to her and tried to give her phone back, but she didn't take it. She started to tremble; her eyes watered and she couldn't stop herself from feeling so upset.

_'Did she... hear...?'_

Sora played it cool; if it was something else he didn't want to freak her out. He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. "What's the matter?"

"It's... nothing..."she instinctively placed her hand over her stomach.

"It has to be something..."

"You wouldn't like it..."

"Tell me what's on your mind."

Her tears flowed down her cheeks and her face became blotchy. Kairi hid herself from him; she really didn't want Sora to see her like this. She had promised herself to be strong, but a certain movie had reminded her... of her unborn child. Even though the child would have been Roxas', she still felt really sad. The baby didn't deserve to go and she felt like it was her fault. She couldn't tell Sora this, even if he truly did want to help.

She thought about the child every now and then; each time she was met with an unbearable pain as she was reminded of that time; that entire day. That was the same day that Sora found out about her infidelity and then supposedly died right after. It was the worst day of her life.

The memory of Sora's supposed death and the death of her unborn child always went hand in hand.

If Kairi were to get pregnant again, she had no idea how she would handle it. She would constantly be reminded of the child that she lost.

It was karma.

It was because of her own actions.

She was the reason.

Kairi shook in Sora's arms; even though she loved that he was actually being nice and caring towards her, she didn't quite understand it.

"I thought... you said... that you needed more time..."she mustered, changing the subject in her mind.

"Umm..." Sora knew exactly what he said just a few hours before, "...well..."

"And now you're moving in...? I'm sorry... I'm just... confused..."

"Don't think... much of it..."

"You _always_ say that..." irritation echoed in her voice, "... I don't understand you right now, Sora..."

"I don't understand myself either."his arms retracted and he sat there, not scooting away or anything. Their legs were still touching and they didn't say anything for a few moments.

"So... do you still want to watch a movie...?"Sora asked, not knowing that looking through Axel's DVD collection was what caused Kairi's mood to change in the first place.

"Okay... but... you choose."

o.o.o

Roxas was trying to decide whether or not to pack everything back up and hurry back to Destiny Islands. When he really thought about it though, he knew that he didn't want to be around Kairi and Sora. But at the same time, he didn't want Vanitas to go anywhere near them.

Ventus came into his room without knocking, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Alright, what's going on?"

Irritated, Roxas didn't really want to explain to his brother about the entire situation.

"Is it about that girl?"

Maybe he didn't have to.

"So... she's more important than your family, huh?"

"Don't say that."

"It seems that way!" Ventus yelled.

"Just leave me alone!"

"Not until I find out what made you leave us."

"Ugh... I don't have time for this."

The bitterness that Roxas felt for his family-well, his parents was definitely something that he didn't want to be reminded of. Ventus seemed to be determined to get it out of him though and that really bothered Roxas. In truth, he didn't care if his parents wanted to reconcile. He had much more important things going on, just like Ventus mentioned. Kairi was way more important right now.

o.o.o

Reno and Vanitas were parked in a black car outside of Sun Set Valley Apartments. Vanitas was really surprised that they were able to find them so quickly; when he asked Reno how it was possible, he merely smirked and said he had his ways.

"Jennifer, sweetie," Reno said from the backseat to the driver, "Call the police."

"May I ask, why?"

"Tell them that you have an anonymous tip about Vanitas. Tell them that he's here, somewhere on the 5th floor."

Vanitas was silent; Reno truly knew how to get around things.

"As soon as Sora is out of the way, Kairi will be left alone. Auron and Jecht are nearby."

They listened as Jennifer provided the tip to police, then drove off and parked around the corner.

o.o.o

Sora and Kairi sat on separate couches as they watched the movie. Kairi lay down and made herself comfortable. Sora didn't pay attention to the movie at all; he had become a bit paranoid knowing that Vanitas could be anywhere.

"Sora, are you okay?" Kairi asked, noticing his nervous expression.

_'Is that guy really related to me...? And knowing that... how am I going to react if I see him again?'_

"Sora?"

"Oh, what?" He looked over at her.

"Nothing." she focused back on the television. All of a sudden, there was a forceful knock on the door. Sora jumped up.

"Police! Open the door or we'll kick it in!"

_'Police?!'_ Sora was confused as hell, but he was sure it was all some sort of misunderstanding. He went over, opened the door, but then was bound and handcuffed on the spot. Kairi rushed over to him in a panic.

"What the hell?!" Sora fought back, but there were too many officers.

"Vanitas Spar, you are going straight back to prison!"

_'No... Kairi can't find out...'_

"You've got it all wrong! I'm not him! If I were, do you really think I would have opened the door?!"

"Sora, what's going on?!" Kairi shrieked.

"Come on, you little shit." The police officers forced him out of the apartment.

"Kairi, I'll come back... I promise!" Sora yelled before being hauled away.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** If you didn't see this coming... well.

Damn, I hate feeling sick. I have a fever right now. Good thing I was nearly done with this chapter.

I hope that you leave a **review**. I'm still debating on the amount of chapters left.


	32. Anata o Mamorimasu

**A/N:** I absolutely loved everyone's reaction to the police incident. XD

If you're wondering why I brought Roxas' family into this story, A) I needed to get him back to Twilight Town and B) it's part of the story flow. I almost feel bad that you guys hate him so much. Lols

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Two

o.o.o

Kairi was frozen.

_'What... just... happened...?'_

'Did they say... what I think they said...?'

The nightmares were coming back...

Her heart beating out of her chest, Kairi couldn't quite understand the intensity of the situation, but her paranoia and anxiety took over. She never wanted to hear that name again, yet the police just mistook Sora for him...?

_'That must mean...'_

Kairi was about to scream, when all of a sudden she heard footsteps near the front door. Frightened, she instinctively searched for a place to hide, but in this two bedroom apartment there weren't many choices. Under the bed was too easy. In the closet was another common place.

The door cracked open, sending Kairi into a panic. She went into the master bathroom and locked the door, knowing very well that whoever it was must have heard her. She leaned her back against the wall and rocked back and forth, trying her very best to stay quiet and not to bust out crying. Was he here? Was he going to kill her?

The sounds of the wooden floor and someone walking across it were terrifying. Kairi could hardly breathe. It was going to happen again... and nobody would be here to protect her. 

The steps got closer; now she could tell that this person was in her room. They grunted, and she could tell that it was indeed a male.

Then the sounds stopped.

Kairi put her hands over her head and cried as quietly as she could, but her panting was starting to become uncontrollable.

_'Just go away... just go... away...'_

Someone was standing in front of the bathroom door.

Kairi held her breath, but she couldn't for long. She saw the doorknob turn and stop due to the lock. Her fear was at an all time high and she really considered jumping out of the bathroom window—five stories down. Anything would be better than seeing the embodiment of her nightmares again. Anything.

_"Hey, Zack. It's locked."_

There were two of them?!

_"What's the girl's name again?"_ she heard the other male voice.

_"Kairi. She was all Sora ever talked about."_

_'They know... Sora...?'_

"Kairi, this is Sora's uncle, Leon. If you're in there, you need to come out quickly."

Kairi didn't make a sound.

How did she know that they weren't lying?

"I've sent my wife to go and bail Sora out. You need to hurry and leave with us. There are some bad people after you."

_'Bad... people...?'_ Kairi managed to stand, but didn't open the door.

"Vanitas killed my friend, Seifer." the other male voice said.

Kairi shuddered at the name.

"Kairi, we can only hold them off for so long. You need to trust us."

Kairi reached for the doorknob, but she was still so scared that she couldn't bring herself to do it. She never met any of Sora's aunts or uncles. But at the same time, the other guy knew about the death of Seifer.

Just who _were_ they...?

"Kairi, they're coming! You need to come out now!"

In a panic, Kairi unlocked the door and it flung open. A tall, muscular man with shoulder length brown hair reached for her hand and grabbed her.

"Wait! I need... my... medicine..."

"Medicine?" Leon asked.

"It's... in my... purse..."

Leon spotted her purse on the kitchen table and told the other man to get it. "Is there a phone in there?" Leon called to him.

"N-No," Kairi said before Zack searched through, "it's over there. Sora's too."

"Good, you don't need it."

"Huh?"

"As long as you have that phone, they can find you."

Leon and Zack led Kairi out of the apartment and ran towards a red car. Kairi wasn't sure what was going on, but she got into the back seat and locked the door. Leon and Zack sat up front. Right before they left, Kairi swore that she caught a glance of _him_...

"Cloud and Genesis will hold them off. My wife, Rinoa and Sora will meet up with us."Leon sped down the road.

"Cloud...?" the name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"We're all friends of Sora." Zack clarified, "so when I found out that his twin was causing havoc-" he was interrupted by Leon.

"Shh!"

_'Twin...?'_

"Sora... has... a twin...?" Kairi repeated in a dreadful voice. Leon sighed.

"I guess you need to know. Vanitas is Sora's twin brother. They were separated at birth and Sora never knew about it. Vanitas doesn't know either. They-"

"Stop..." Kairi started to shake, "...stop saying... that name..."

"Sorry." Leon apologized, "But it's true."

It made sense, but at the same time, to Kairi it didn't make sense. They may have looked the same, but they were complete opposites. She could hardly wrap her mind around it. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted... to see Sora...

"Shit, they're coming!" Zack yelled, looking past Kairi at the car trailing behind them. "Kairi, duck down!"

"What?"

All of a sudden, a gun shot was heard. Kairi screamed and did as she was told.

"Shit, it's the ringleader!" Zack reached into the glove department and pulled out a gun. "Open the top!"

Leon did so as he maneuvered past all of the cars skillfully. Kairi could hardly keep her balance on the seat so she held onto the handle for her life. She felt like she was in a terrible action movie and she was the target. Kairi shut her eyes tightly; her anxiety was building up again. Not even her medicine could calm her down. This was way too scary.

"Shoot the tires out." Leon told Zack as he lifted himself up on the seat until half of his body was outside of the car.

_'This isn't happening... this is just a bad dream... I'm going to wake up any-"_

Gunshots.

"AHH!" Kairi shrieked.

More shots.

Leon glanced in his rear view mirror and saw the car behind them spinning out of control. Zack plopped back down.

"Got them. Hurry! Turn this corner!"

Leon nearly hit another car as he made the spontaneous turn. If it weren't for Kairi's seat belt, she would have flung onto the floor. Zack directed him through the streets to their destination. Kairi didn't dare look up; she was too scarred to even think straight. After what seemed like forever, Leon finally parked. He and Zack got out of the car, but Kairi didn't move. She felt like she was about to go crazy.

Leon opened the back door. "You're safe now. Come on."

It took a few moments for Kairi to realize that it was quiet and that they weren't moving anymore. She looked up at Leon, who was waiting for her to get out of the car. Kairi slowly lifted up and looked around, her heart still beating wildly in her chest. She heard Leon talking to someone on the phone.

"Sora is on his way." Leon told her.

Kairi finally stepped out of the car, with Zack's help. She didn't know where she was, but it was a beautiful place nonetheless. There was a small cottage in front of them, surrounded by a pond and a huge garden. A bridge went over the pond and led to the front door. Mountains were all around them.

"What is this... place?" Kairi asked absentmindedly, in awe.

"I don't know if I should tell you. Ask Sora." Leon grinned and went towards the door.

"Ask... Sora?"

"Anyway, you'll be safe here." Zack reassured her. They all went inside.

o.o.o

Reno and Vanitas were finally able to get away from Cloud and Genesis.

"You're a pussy, you know that?" Reno told him, focusing on the blood tinkling from Vanitas' nose.

Vanitas glared at him and wiped off the blood.

"So... you take those weaker than you just to let out your own anger? Is that why you want this girl?"

"Shut up." Vanitas said, but flinched when Reno raised his hand to hit him.

"It's not my business, but I just think it's pretty pathetic. You can't even fight, yet you can smack a woman around?"Before he said anything else, his phone rang. "Hey, Auron. What? You lost them? Damn it... alright. We'll meet you."

Reno shot one last glare at Vanitas and then told the driver where to go.

o.o.o

"Roxas, where are you going?" Ventus asked as he saw Roxas heading towards a taxi outside of their house.

"I need to go back. I have a bad feeling!"

"Wait! What about mom and dad?!" Ventus grabbed his arm. The tension between the two brothers was building.

"Find someone else! They hate me anyway!" Roxas tried to break away from him, but Ventus was stronger. "Let go!"

"No they don't!"

"They never cared about me! That's why I left! Kairi was the only one who ever gave a shit about me, even if she was with Sora!"

"We care about you!" Ventus said, but Roxas broke away from him.

"I have to save her. If I don't come back, don't miss me." With that, Roxas got into the taxi and headed for the station. Ventus watched the taxi drive away.

"You held us together..." he drifted off.

o.o.o

The sweet aroma that came from the garden outside filled the cottage. The mixture of stone walls and wooden ceilings were amazing. Zack and Leon took a seat on the leather couch near the fireplace. Kairi sat in the recliner.

"So... how did you guys... find me...?" she asked.

"The same way that they did. You see..." Leon hesitated, "...I used to be one of them."

"One of... what?"

"A mafia member." Zack said. Kairi gasped.

"T-The... mafia... is after me...?"

"Not just you. Sora and Roxas too."

"Roxas... but why...?"

"Because... that guy's father used to be good friends with the ringleader and... that guy... must have asked them for a favor."

"So... he's really... out?"

Anxiety. 

Leon nodded. "It was all over the news. I don't know how Sora found out."

"So that's why he tried to move in..." Kairi said without realizing it, "...he wanted... to protect me..."

"Probably," Leon answered, "I knew that all of those things he said about never being with you again when he was living with us was bull. Sora can't stay away from you."

"Speaking of Sora," Zack went over to the door, "they're here."

Kairi stood up and watched as Sora and another woman, presumably his aunt, came to the door. Rinoa came in first and Sora followed. Their eyes met and before Kairi knew it, Sora's was embracing her.

"We'll be outside," Leon said and escorted the other three out.

"Kairi... I'm so glad that you're okay..."

"What... happened, Sora...?"

"They thought... that I was..." Sora couldn't finish his sentence. Instead, he just pulled her closer, "What's important is... I'm here now."

Kairi pulled away from him, not taking her eyes off of his. "Sora... do you... forgive me...?"

Her question threw him off a little, but with his actions lately he really couldn't deny it. It was true, he still loved Kairi and that scared him, but was she truly repented in his eyes? He still wasn't sure; he got completely caught up in this entire situation and did everything by instinct. It was time to take a step back and think about his actions instead of just going head first into something.

"Kairi... I... still care about you."

"That... doesn't answer my question..."

"I can't answer it."

Kairi's eyes watered, "Then why are you here? Why would you do all of these things for me? And what is this place? Your uncle told me to ask you... just what is going through your head? What do I mean to you now?!"

"I bought this place for our honeymoon." he said quietly, "It was a long time ago."

Kairi stepped closer to him. Sora had a sad look on his face.

"Really...?"

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now."

"I don't get it!" Kairi yelled, "what do you _want_, Sora?! Just a few hours ago you tried to move in with me! I'm so confused!"

"I love you, okay?! I don't want you to get hurt! That's why!" Sora yelled, not realizing what he said.

Kairi was speechless. She fell back into the recliner.

That was enough confirmation for her.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** So... I totally didn't plan this for Valentine's Day. It was just a mere coincidence! I mean... uh. Anyway, please leave a **review**!

You shall understand Vanitas' relevance in the story soon enough, even if you don't care. XD

The cottage idea came from Matilda. I'm just horrible at descriptions.

Happy Valentine's Day! And don't be sad if you're not in a relationship. Anyone can be your Valentine! In fact, I hereby claim all of you as my valentines. Muahaha!

The snow LITERALLY skipped over my town. But it's everywhere else. It's hilarious.

**Review** and have a nice day! 


	33. Truce

**A/N:** AWW I WANT TO CRY. You guys are so supportive T.T' I'm actually feeling okay enough to write this in my hospital bed with an effing IV stuck in my arm (not the most comfortable) but yeah. Please enjoy this chapter and review!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Three 

o.o.o

Reno, Auron, Jecht and Vanitas met over at an abandoned apartment building. Everyone was silent and it was apparent that they weren't too happy about failing.

Vanitas couldn't get Kairi's image out of his head. How he came to have this obsession with her was baffling, but it was like he just had to have her. It was almost as if... he met her before.

o.o.o

_Flashback: 19 years prior; Destiny Islands_

Eight year old Vanitas rode in the back seat of his parent's car. Mr. and Mrs. Spar had been arguing the entire trip here.

"We're giving him back! He only gets in my way!" Mr. Spar yelled. His wife tried countless times to refuse.

Strangely, Vanitas was calm. He watched the palm trees go by until they turned into suburbs. These houses were way nicer than his own, run down place. Mr. Spar pulled into a driveway and stopped. He slowly managed to get his tobacco smelling pot belly self out of the car. Vanitas looked over the seat and watched as his parents went to the door.

_'They're trying to get rid of me?'_

_"Leave, before we call the police!"_ he heard the lady at the door yell.

Mrs. Spar came back around, got into the car and slammed the door. She looked really disturbed. After a while, his father got in, saying every curse word in the book.

"Both of you are useless in my life! I should just leave you here! You-" he turned to Mrs. Spar who was on the verge of tears, "You're the one that agreed to take this... this..." he glanced back at Vanitas, who was just numb to all of the arguing. The child wasn't sure what to think, but he had an uncanny ability to block it out. He looked back out the window and watched as they drove away from the house.

Mr. Spar dropped Vanitas and his mother off at the beach and drove off without a word. Whether he would come back or not was a mystery, but Vanitas didn't really understand at the time. His attention was focused on the two girls playing with the sand. They had sculpted an elaborate sandcastle. Without his mother's consent, Vanitas went over to it and started kicking it. The girls became upset and started fighting with him, but this was fun. All of a sudden, he was pushed down into the sand by a redhead eight year old.

"We worked really hard on that!" she yelled at him.

"Kairi..." the blonde girl hid behind her, "...we can fix it."

"No! What he did was mean!"

Vanitas looked into her blue eyes. She was furious with him, yet he couldn't understand why it intrigued him. His mother came over and tried to apologize to the girls, but Vanitas pushed her away.

"Shut up, stupid woman!" Vanitas ran off.

_End of Flashback_

o.o.o

It hit him.

That was why.

He _did_ meet her before.

It was a very distant memory, but suddenly everything made sense. Ever since he saw her the first time, he was intrigued, the same way that he was back then. She may have not been the brave little girl that he remembered, but actually, in his eyes she was better. She was weak and vulnerable—just the way he liked it.

"We need some bait." Jecht interrupted. "But who?"

"Didn't he mention like three people?" Reno added, not really interested in any of this.

"That... Roxas guy?" Jecht pondered. "You think it would work?"

"Who knows. But I have a feeling that it won't take long to find him." Auron stated. "I've done some research about him. He's an irrational fool. He's bound to show up eventually."

"We should kidnap him and beat him." Vanitas said, his blood boiling.

"Aww, nicely said but coming from someone that couldn't even-" Reno was cut off by Auron.

"If that's what you want to do, we will make it happen."

o.o.o

Sora took Kairi along a path that went through the mountains. As they drove, they were silent, but the natural beauty around them made it a comfortable silence. They came to a lake that was hidden deep within the mountains.

_'This is how I imagined our honeymoon... but... of course reality tells me that it's nothing like that right now...'_ Sora thought as he stepped out of the car. Kairi was in awe from the beautiful blue water that glistened in front of her. Sora opened the car door and reached out his hand.

He wanted to keep her mind off of the bad situation, but he could barely relax.

Kairi took his hand and nearly fell onto him when she got out, but of course, Sora caught her. They went over to the lake and sat down. The mountains made it all the more magical.

Kairi didn't bother Sora about his outburst; she still wanted to maintain her stance on not coming across as needy and annoying. Just being with him was fine with her. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened, but there was something that weighed on her mind. She was too afraid to ask, however because it reminded her of terrible times.

If Sora and Vanitas really _were_ brothers...

"No... no..." Kairi started to panic.

"Kairi, what is it? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing..."

"Oh no, you're not getting away with that this time. Tell me." Sora pulled her closer. "If we have to sit here all night, we will. But I want to help you."

"I... I can't... it's too... scary..."

"He really hurt you, didn't he?" Sora asked in a low tone.

Kairi almost felt like she didn't even have the right to say yes to Sora. She didn't have the right to complain about her misfortunes.

But she did it anyway.

"He took everything that I had left... if anything..." Kairi sobbed, "he... raped me... he beat me..."

"Kairi-"

"Sora, I was so scared... thinking of you was the only way that I got through..."

"You don't have to tell me what he did. I already know... and don't worry... he's going to pay for it..."

"Even though he's your... brother?"

Sora stared at her incredulously. "You... you knew?"

"Your Uncle told me."

"Well, I just found out not long ago. Trust me. My parents never planned on telling me in the first place."

Kairi placed her hand on his in a supportive manner and then leaned against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and took some steady breaths as she tried to forget all of the bad things that happened. She wanted to just spend this moment with Sora, here, on this beautiful lake in the mountains. It was her escape from reality, even if it was short lived.

_'I can't believe that I said that to her earlier... deep down it may be true that I love her still... but... it was in the heat of the moment and I...'_

Sora got lost in his own thoughts as he felt her warmness up against him. _'I've known her for so long... just letting her go like that... despite everything... I... can't...'_

_'But at the same time... how can I truly love her if I don't trust her?'_

Sora hated going back and forth with his feelings. He really wanted things to slow down, but it was like he didn't have a choice. Everything always seemed to be suddenly thrown at him—he was always the last to know and always the one to suffer the consequences. He didn't know how to make it easier on himself because he didn't feel like he had control and that really bothered him. Kairi may be the only girl he could ever see himself with, but he was having trouble picturing what their future would be like. Would they fight all the time? Would they be able to laugh like they used to? He couldn't even trust his own friends—even Riku made him a little insecure even though he clearly knew that Riku would never do anything like that.

_'I didn't used to be like this... what happened to me...?'_

Would he become one of those obsessive boyfriends that monitored their girlfriend's every move? Would he check her when she came home, keep tabs and everything else? Sora couldn't imagine himself being that way, but he was afraid. He felt like his brain would explode from all of the possibilities in his head.

He remembered a few hours earlier when Kairi asked him if he had forgiven her.

Even if he did, he would never forget—and that was his biggest dilemma.

"Sora, are you okay?" Kairi looked up at him.

Sora shook his head and carefully moved a little bit away from her, causing Kairi to sit up on her own. Kairi didn't have to ask him what was going through his mind. She leaned over and buried her face in her knees. The pain he must have felt; the conflicts he must be battling by just sitting next to her and doing all of these things for her—she felt terrible. She didn't deserve any of it, yet he was still here.

"We should get back. It's getting late." Sora got up and stretched, but Kairi remained on the ground. "Kairi?"

"Just... let them do what they want to me... I don't want anyone else getting hurt... because of me..." Kairi mumbled, on the verge of tears.

"That's nonsense. Come on, let's go." Sora reached for her arm to help her up, but she refused. She may have needed her medicine, but that wasn't with her at the moment.

"I... I don't want you or anyone to... die because of me... I'm the one they want... just let them have me!"

"There's no way!" Sora yelled back at her. "If you're feeling guilty for everything, I understand, but I will not allow you to say such stupid and crazy things!"

"You don't understand! You deserve someone much better than me..." Kairi sobbed, "...I'm just a liar... a whore... so naturally... I should-"

Sora dropped to his knees and forced her to look at him. She could barely make out the outline of his face from her watery vision. She fell onto her back and he came with her. They just lay there; Kairi still sniffling and trying to calm down. Sora had a sympathetic glow in his eyes. He took his fingers and moved her hair out of her face, then wiped her tears. Kairi felt a little calmer as Sora continued to stroke her hair. Finally, he lay down next to her and asked her to rest her head on his chest as he stared up at the night sky. Kairi did so and all of her worries slowly went away.

Their "relationship" was so confusing to her. He loved her, he hated her, he wanted to protect her—at this point she was just going to go with the flow. If Sora didn't want to be here, he definitely wouldn't be, right?

"Don't call yourself those things." Sora said in a low tone. "You are not a whore... or anything like that... you just... lost your way." Even Sora was unsure of what he was saying. "It happens... at least once in our lives... right?"

"Sora?"

"Hm?"

"How did you... I mean..." Kairi was trying to find a way to word things, "...when you were living with your Uncle... did you try to forget about me?"

"Honestly, yes."

Kairi cringed, but she expected it. "I... also tried... maybe once or twice. But it was impossible..."

"I do wonder one thing," Sora paused, "...why would you try to kill yourself?"

Kairi had no answers for him, although they should have been obvious.

"It really... must have torn Roxas apart."

Kairi was surprised that Sora even mentioned Roxas in such a way. "What?"

"I've gotta give him credit; like you said, if it weren't for him... you probably wouldn't be alive right now... laying here with me..."

There was the old Sora—always making light out of even the worst situations.

He sat up, helping her up with him. "Let's... make a truce."

"A... truce?"

Sora nodded and took her hands in his. "I... will try to... trust you again... if you promise me... that..."

"Promise you what?"

"That... you will stay with me... and only me... forever..." Sora's face turned deep red.

Despite all of his confusion and fear about the future, he was tired of worrying about it. He too, just wanted to go with the flow. If it works out, great, if not—well, life does that sometimes, but at least he would know whether or not they were truly meant to be.

"Sora... of course... I swear on my life... I will _never_... do that... stuff... and... I will always tell you if I have a problem... and I won't try to kill myself... I'll take my medicine... I'll eat normal meals... I'll do anything to make it up to you... anything..."

Sora let out a huge sigh, followed by a smile. "Whatever happens, happens."

o.o.o

They returned to the cottage about an hour later. Zack, Leon and Rinoa were sitting in the dining area, as if they were waiting for them. They all had nervous looks on their faces.

"Where have you two been?" Leon asked, "Do you realize how dangerous it is out there? Sora, I don't care how much you think you've learned from my training, you cannot take on five mafia members at once or whatever!"

"Sorry..." Sora merely smiled and wrapped his arm around Kairi's shoulder, "we're tired so... we're going to bed. Night!"

"Wait," Rinoa spoke up, "...something has happened."

"Huh?" Sora and Kairi turned around.

"Uhh..." Rinoa turned to Zack and Leon. Zack said it for her.

"Genesis informed us that... Roxas has been kidnapped and they're using him to get to you two."

"What?" Kairi shrieked.

"They probably won't keep him alive for long." Leon added. "Zack and I are going to go and finish this once and for all."

"I'm going too!" Sora stepped up, but was rejected.

"What did I just say?" Leon pushed him back.

"But... Roxas has to live! He has a-"Sora stopped himself. "I have to go too. This battle is with... my brother... you guys can take care of the other people... but I personally want to deal with... Vanitas. What he did to Kairi was unforgivable..."

"That's very noble of you, Sora, but you've done enough." Leon said as he packed his things. "Your job now is to keep Kairi safe."

"Leon, just let him." Rinoa said. "I can protect Kairi."

Leon didn't doubt his wife, but he just didn't want this to be worse than it could be. However, as usual, he was easily persuaded once Rinoa was involved and let Sora go with him. Sora kissed Kairi before he left.

"We'll take care of this, don't worry. You won't have to be afraid anymore."

"Sora... please... be careful..."

"I'll be fine." he grinned.

She whispered an _'I love you,'_ as he left.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** I hope you liked this somewhat long chapter (for me at least) after a while of no updates. Can't guarantee when the next update will be. Anyway, I hope you **review** like always. 


	34. If I Never Knew You

**A/N:** Out of the hospital... in somewhat decent condition for now... let's see how this goes. Thanks for everyone's support! -tear-

This chapter may be shorter.

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Four

o.o.o

_"And I'm so grateful to you, I'd have lived whole life through  
lost forever,  
if I never knew you..."_

o.o.o

Xion sat next to Ayaka's crib, watching her as she slept soundly. She was a little torn over the fact that Roxas hadn't contacted her at all, even after Ienzo gave her number away. She didn't know why she expected such a thing, anyway.

"My daughter does deserve a father..."

Xion felt selfish. Completely selfish.

"All I wanted... was something of my own... that I could give a better life than I ever had... yet I can't even do that..."

She curled up into a ball and cried.

o.o.o

Roxas' eyes slowly opened. All he could see was a dirt floor in a dimly lit room, what looked like the outline of a couch and nothing else. His hands were restrained behind his back, as well as his feet and he could barely move. An excruciating pain was coming from his side. He felt lightheaded and confused and wasn't really sure where he was or how he even got here.

Vanitas appeared in front of him, not hesitating to kick him right in the face. Roxas coughed up some blood as he was suddenly dragged across the floor by someone else and forced to sit up against the wall. He shut his eyes tightly and tried to deal with the pain, but it just kept coming. He felt the impact on his stomach as he was beaten constantly by unknown assailants all while trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

_'Kairi... as long as she's safe...'_

"Alright, Vanny... you're overdoing it a bit, aren't you?" A voice said.

_'Of course... it would be him...'_

"I'm getting bored. Where's Reno with the girl?" Auron said irritably as he stared down at Roxas.

"Patience, my friend! I can't wait to see this girl. She must be cute if we go to all this trouble." Jecht laughed as he knelt down in front of Roxas. "Open your eyes, boy."

"Leave... Kairi... alone..." Roxas mustered, coughing immediately after.

"What was that?" Jecht put his hand behind his ear and leaned closer. "I didn't hear."

"Ugh... let's just kill him." Vanitas grunted, grabbing a knife from the table. "I want him to die a slow and painful death."

"But wouldn't it be _more fun_ to let the girl watch?" Jecht suggested.

Vanitas considered it; he did have a point. "As long as they hurry up."

o.o.o

Sora, Leon and Zack got into the car and sped down the mountain. The tension was undeniable.

"Always be on your guard," Leon started, "they may be tricking us. They may not even have him at all."

Sora looked back worriedly as they got farther and farther from the cottage. His heart was ready to jump out of his chest; he had no idea what to expect. Everyone was quiet as soon as the entered the main road.

"I'm going to call for reinforcements." Leon broke the silence, getting out his phone.

Little did they know that Reno was just around the corner, watching as they drove by.

o.o.o

Kairi and Rinoa sat around the fireplace. They were both pretty nervous, but at the same time—hopeful. Kairi couldn't help worrying about Sora and the others, nor could she even imagine what Roxas was going through right now.

"Kairi, everything will be okay." Rinoa reassured her. "Leon has some great connections."

"Could I... ask you something?" Kairi said randomly.

"Sure."

"Although I love Sora with all of my heart, I just... can't stop worrying about Roxas... am I wrong...?"

Rinoa had a gist of the situation, but she really couldn't give the best advice. "It's natural to worry about someone you still care about."

"Even if... he's the one... I... cheated with...?"

"Before that, he was your friend. Imagine how hard this is for Sora? I'm surprised he's even going out there." Rinoa crossed her arms.

"Me too..."

"Sora has a good heart, that's why. Even if someone wrongs him, he always tries to make it right. It's not the best way to be, in my opinion, but that's just how Sora is."

"I know... but we don't deserve-"

"Kairi, stop trying to live in the past. Sora wants to do this. He truly loves you."

Kairi's heart fluttered at her words, but she still felt guilty.

"You're very lucky." Rinoa finished.

All of a sudden, they heard a door open and shut. Rinoa shot up and guarded Kairi; she was pretty sure that she left the door locked. The fire burned out and they were left in the darkness.

"W-What's-"

"Shh!" Rinoa shushed her as she prepared for the worst.

The fact that the cottage was small really didn't help them in this situation. There was nowhere to hide and Rinoa couldn't let Kairi just run away. The mafia was not a force to be messed with lightly. She was the reason that Leon even left the mafia and since then, she always had to be on the edge. In a way, Rinoa felt like her nightmares were finally coming true, even if she wasn't the target.

It came out of nowhere—a swift breeze followed by a hand that Rinoa successfully blocked as she pushed Kairi to the ground. How many were there? Who was it? It didn't matter; Rinoa had to protect the girl for her nephew's sake. She wasn't sure how, but she blocked every hit, despite being able to see in the dark. Kairi had no idea what was happening, but she really wanted to help. She scrambled to find some sort of weapon, but came up empty handed. Even if she was just in the way, she couldn't let Rinoa take the fall for her. She couldn't let anyone die because of her.

"Go away!" Kairi lashed out, punching like an idiot in every direction. She could hear Rinoa struggling with the unknown person. She went closer to the sounds.

"Kairi, get out of here, now!"

"No!" Kairi knew that she couldn't be a hero, but if she could just-

"AHH!"

Everything went black.

o.o.o

Leon stopped the car in the middle of a park and got out. Cloud and Genesis, as well as three others that Sora didn't recognize at first were waiting for them. One had light blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail, baggy blue pants and a fancy vest. He looked sort of young. The other two—he actually knew.

"Tifa?! Riku?!" Sora couldn't believe his eyes.

"Sora? Oh my goodness! I haven't seen you in forever! What happened to you? Did you die and come back to life?" Tifa nearly jumped on him, but he dodged her. Cloud, Riku and Genesis just shook their heads.

Sora let out a nervous laugh. "What are you doing here?!"

"These guys are my best friends now." She grabbed Cloud's arm. "What, you didn't know that I knew how to fight? We're all here to help!"

Sora looked over at Riku, who nodded. "You can't do shit without me."

"Eh..." Sora rubbed the back of his head and laughed.

Leon went over to the young blonde. "Zidane."

"_Squall_." He smirked.

"Thank you... everyone... for helping me..." Sora said, "most of you barely even know me or my... friends... but..."

"Hey," Zidane walked over to Sora, "...you don't need a reason to help people."

Leon smirked, but then his facial expression changed back to a serious one. "Let's get this over with."

"Follow us," Cloud said as he tried to shake Tifa off of him. "Damn it, woman! I'm married! How many times do I have to say it?!"

"Anyway, they're back at that warehouse." Genesis told them.

"Got it." Leon let out a huge sigh and got into the car. Sora and Zack followed. Cloud, Genesis, Tifa and Zidane loaded into the other and drove off.

o.o.o

The taste of blood was making Roxas nauseous. He was perched up against the corner of the room, just listening as the three men laughed and played some card game. He was on the verge of being unconscious and part of him wished that he was.

Was this his punishment for everything?

_'I regret... ever meeting... her...'_

If he would have just backed off... if he would have just left her alone...

If he never fell in love with her...

He would probably beg them to kill him right now.

But he wasn't going to do that.

Roxas had to live—even if he didn't have Kairi in the end.

"Finally, they're here." Jecht got up and hurried over to help Reno carry Kairi into the warehouse. Her hands were tied, just like him. She looked weak and pathetic—just the way that Vanitas liked it. Roxas' eyes opened slightly; he caught a glance of her before she was dragged onto the couch.

He heard her screaming.

Her cries—it was a nightmare.

Roxas tried to move, but he couldn't.

He couldn't do anything—like always.

He was useless.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Short chapter, but just a set up for the next. Uhh, gonna use that M rating to my advantage.

By the way, I suggest you look up those songs that I pointed out in my profile for the playlist. Just a suggestion.

**REVIEW**! Because... uh... tomorrow is my birthday and so far I don't have to spend it in the hospital...!

YAY!

'til next time, peeps. =D


	35. Goodbye Will Always Come

**A/N:** Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! My birthday was... decent! I seem to like that word.

So I was told to 'make them suffer' in this sequel.

Yeah.

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Five

o.o.o

_"I'm afraid to live with my eyes open,_  
_Because even if I'm searching, I won't be able to see you_  
_Instead of yearning for you..._  
_Living with my eyes closed is probably better..._

_Don't love, it hurts so much that you feel like dying_  
_Tears fall each and every day..."_

o.o.o

Kairi's head banged against the couch rest as Vanitas did what he wanted to her right in front of everyone. She couldn't cry. She couldn't scream anymore. She could hardly even breathe.

As long as she was the only one getting hurt, it was okay.

But it wasn't like that.

Roxas tried his hardest to move towards her, despite being tied up. His entire body ached as he inched across the floor towards Kairi. All he could see was her hand, lifelessly hanging over the edge of the couch.

"K-Kai...ri..."

"Why don't we give them some time alone?" Auron motioned for the other two to leave.

"Aww, I wanted to watch. She's a cute girl." Jecht complained, but was shushed.

Reno knelt down in front of Roxas, blocking him from seeing Kairi. "No hard feelings. It's all business..." he glared back at Vanitas, "or it _would_ be... if we weren't doing this shit for free..." he grunted and walked out.

Once Vanitas was done raping her, he got off of her lifeless body and zipped up. After catching his breath, he went over to Roxas and lifted him off of the floor. He kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could, knocking Roxas back into the wall.

Kairi didn't move.

"This girl is _mine_ now. You don't have to worry about her anymore."

Vanitas grabbed Roxas' jaw and forced him to look him in the eyes. He could take advantage of this situation, just like he had always dreamed. His darkest desires would be able to come out now—and he didn't care who suffered because of it. It excited him. It made him feel like he had control.

Vanitas was a psychopath—he was pure evil.

Whatever reason he had for doing this was irrelevant. He was completely messed up in the head.

Unable to look at him anymore, Roxas spit in his face and turned his head down. Enraged, Vanitas backhanded him.

"So you want to do it that way, huh?" Vanitas smirked evilly and stood up. He focused his attention on Kairi, who still hadn't moved from her position. Suddenly, he dragged her onto the floor, causing her to cry out. He made sure she could see what he was about to do to Roxas and then reached for the knife on the table. He paced back and forth slowly, in a creepy manner, just admiring the knife in his hands.

"Kairi, my dear, this is what happens when you disobey me."

Kairi's eyes widened as she finally realized what was about to happen. "N-No! Please! Don't... hurt him!"

Her begging really made him quiver with arousal. Maybe he could have a little fun with this.

"If you don't want him to die, beg for it some more."

Kairi didn't even think twice.

"Please... I'm... who you want... aren't I? Please... just... you can... have me... just..."

"Kairi!" Roxas called out, giving her an incredulous look. Pain escalated in his sides and he fell back over.

Vanitas rolled his eyes and pointed the knife at Roxas. "Not good enough. He really just needs to go."Vanitas lifted the knife right above him. Kairi screamed and shut her eyes tightly. This was just a nightmare that she could wake up from, wasn't it? She wasn't really here right now. This wasn't happening...

It... wasn't...

All of a sudden, star-shaped blades came out of nowhere, striking Vanitas right in the hand and causing him to drop the knife.

"Yuffie, I told you to _wait_!"

"But he was about to stab him."

"It's bad enough that you were late. We need to go according to plan!"

Sora, Genesis and Yuffie appeared. Vanitas, outnumbered, immediately became nervous. His plans were going to be ruined.

"You think Leon and the others can hold off those other three?" Yuffie scratched the back of her head.

"No time for that." Genesis charged at Vanitas, while Sora and Yuffie went to help Roxas and Kairi. Yuffie cut the ropes around his wrists and ankles and he nearly fell onto her. Sora hurried to clothe Kairi and helped her stand while Genesis beat the crap out of Vanitas. Roxas and Kairi were extremely weak; it hurt for Kairi to walk.

"You're safe now." Sora whispered to her. "Tifa will take you two out of here..."

Yuffie lost her balance of Roxas and he fell onto the ground and coughed up some blood. Seeing this, Kairi shrieked and ran over to him.

"R-Roxas... speak to me..."

A loud bang was heard, meaning gunshots were going off. Instinctively, Kairi covered her head and ducked over Roxas. Sora and Yuffie pulled them up and forced them to go outside. She had no idea what was going on—whether or not anyone on their side was shot, or anything. Kairi had no idea about anything. She just wanted it to end...

"Sora, hurry!" Tifa already had a car ready.

"Can you sit up?" Sora asked Kairi; she was still in pain.

"Roxas... needs the back seat... I'll... deal..."

Sora carefully helped Kairi into the passenger's seat and buckled her seat belt for her. Yuffie carried Roxas and set him down behind her and tried to secure him.

"Sora... what about you?" Kairi gave him a worried look.

"I'll be okay. We're going to end this so that you never have to worry again." He shut the door and waved to Tifa. Before Kairi knew it, they were speeding down the road towards the hospital. Roxas must have lost consciousness, because he hadn't made a sound or movement in a while.

Was he...?

Panicked, Kairi turned and stared at him.

"Kairi, he'll be fine." Tifa said, keeping her eyes on the road straight ahead.

o.o.o

Reno and Leon circled around the room, engaged in a standoff.

"What did you do to my wife?" Leon glared.

"She may or may not be alive."

"ARGH!"

Meanwhile, Riku and Cloud were trying to hold Jecht off, who was carelessly firing gunshots in a drunken manner and laughing as he dodged them flawlessly. Auron seemed to have disappeared into the night.

o.o.o

Sora walked back into the warehouse; his blood boiling.

Seeing Kairi... and even Roxas like that pushed him over the edge.

Vanitas was at Genesis' mercy. He was reduced to a bloody pulp.

"That's a good look for you. Makes me feel better knowing that you are nothing like me." Sora said to him. "You aren't my brother... you're a monster..."

Maybe if Sora would have known Vanitas his entire life things would have been different. Maybe he would have had some kind of sympathy for him. But he had never wanted to strangle anyone so badly—blood related or not.

"What... the hell... are you talking about..."

Genesis was about to hit him again, but Sora stopped him.

"I want to do it. I think the others may need some help."Sora stared down at his _twin_, wanting nothing more than to just put him out of his misery.

But that would be too easy. Vanitas didn't deserve to die so quickly.

These new-found thoughts scared Sora, but he was way past rational thinking. All he had to do was picture Kairi.

Kairi—the one girl that he loved more than anyone else.

The girl that betrayed him.

He loved every bit of her.

Sora picked up the knife that Vanitas was about to use on Roxas earlier. Without hesitation, he slashed him across his chest.

Alright, actually doing it was different.

_'I'm... I'm not like this... but he...'_

_'No... don't let your guard down...'_

_'I'm... not like him...'_

Gun shot.

Sora dived out of the way, but then realized nothing else happened.

Vanitas lay there in front of him, dead.

"Oops," Riku threw the gun on the floor beside him and went over to help Sora up.

"R-Riku—you—killed... him..."

"And? Come on, we need to get out of here."

"What about the others?! The mafia members? Are they-?!"

"Sora, pull yourself together!"

Police sirens.

It was over.

As Sora followed Riku out, he stepped over Reno and Jecht's dead bodies. He never anticipated this reaction; he actually expected that he would be able to come here and _kill_? Yet... Riku did it without a second thought? His uncle, as well as Cloud, Genesis, Zidane and Yuffie could kill someone just like that? Sora couldn't comprehend it—he didn't _really_ want Vanitas to die... he just...

It wasn't that he felt sorry for Vanitas—he just wanted justice to be served—the legal way...

Was he a criminal now?

What would happen to Riku?

"By the way, don't tell Namine about this. She thinks I'm out playing poker."

"DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD?!" Sora yelled as they loaded into the car with Leon and Genesis. The rest of them sped off in the other direction. How could Riku be so casual about this?

"Sora, what happened here... didn't." Leon said to him. Sora's face was pale."This is why I didn't want you to come. It was way more than you could handle."

"Leon... if you want," Genesis started, "I will take them down to the hospital. You need to go check on Rinoa."

Leon's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"She's... gone. There's no need... to."

"WHAT?!" Sora called out.

"Surely Reno was lying! He didn't do anything to her! You have to go and find out!" Genesis yelled.

"I just... know. I can't feel her anymore."

o.o.o

Tifa sat beside Kairi's hospital bed. Roxas was in critical condition and needed immediate surgery. Kairi passed out upon hearing that and was left on IV fluids for the time being. Sora came into the room. Tifa stood up and let him take her seat, then left.

He was still unnerved about everything that had happened.

Kairi's eyes opened slightly.

"S-Sora..."

"Yes? Kairi... I'm here..."

Tears filled her eyes and she started shaking. Sora grabbed a hold on her hand.

"Is it... over...?"

Although Sora knew that Auron was still out there somewhere, he couldn't let Kairi be afraid. "Yes. Everything is okay... now..."

"What about... Roxas...?"

Sora's grip tightened without him realizing it. He didn't know anymore than she did.

He knew that she still cared about Roxas to a certain degree...

...but that really bothered him. On top of everything else...

Maybe he was being selfish... but...

"Roxas... will be..."

As if on cue, a doctor followed by a few nurses walked into the room. Kairi tried to lift up so that she could see them, but it was hard.

"We're here to update you on your friend's condition." the doctor cleared his throat; the look on his face was daunting and only made them nervous, "...although the surgery was successful, Roxas has fallen into a coma. There is no telling when he will wake up... or whether he will even survive."

Kairi shrieked and buried her face in her hands. Once again, it was all her fault.

Sora just watched as she cried.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** Please **review**.

There are two or three chapters left.

I put my Twitter link in my profile. Go and 'follow me'  
Let's make nice tweets together


	36. Aftermath

**A/N: **DOUBLE UPDATE to make up for the week or so of none. I hope you still reviewed the last chapter. Hehe.

I realized that I can't be serious all the time. If you thought it was lame or whatever for Riku to be the one that killed Vanitas, then you're depressing. Go somewhere. Sora can't do that shit. He's too nice... like Goku. Damn it, I turned Sora into Goku. Now I'm convinced that Roxas is his super saiyan form, simply because of the hair.

I'm babbling.

Anyway, read on!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Six

o.o.o

_'Whoever it is, look carefully, don't make her cry  
I have nothing more to lose  
The sadness in my heart that no one else knows about_

Tick tock, tick tock, may it all disappear..."

o.o.o

Sora joined Riku, Cloud, Zidane and Tifa outside of the hospital in a secluded area. Genesis and Yuffie went home. Kairi had fallen back asleep. Leon went off somewhere—he probably didn't want to be bothered. Losing Sora's aunt really took its toll; he could hardly believe it himself. His mother was bound to find out eventually, as well as about the death of Vanitas.

Sora paced around nervously. They had committed crimes—no, _sins_, that were unforgivable. However, the others were more worried about everything but that.

"Riku... what are you going to do?" he asked him.

"What do you mean?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Sora," Cloud started, knowing what Sora was talking about, "the police will assume this is just mafia business. As far as we're concerned, we have nothing to do with this."

"But-"

"What matters is—everyone is safe." Zidane placed his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Besides, from what I heard they were only doing this _favor_ for Vanitas because Auron was good friends with his '_dad_.' Auron won't hold any secret vendetta against you. His life revolves around death." Tifa chuckled. "Not like they were getting anything out of it."

"Yeah." Cloud agreed.

"Sora, if it bothers you that much," Riku went over to him, "I'll go and turn myself in. You'll just have to help Namine and Ken from time to time. You and Kairi may even have to move in. Can you handle two wives?"

Okay, now Riku was guilt tripping him and being a sarcastic ass.

"Fine! I'll... get over it..." Sora clenched his fists. "By the way... why do you think Vanitas was so attached to Kairi?"

"He was a narcissistic, sociopathic, serial rapist. Does that answer your question?" Cloud responded.

"Uh..."

"He didn't have a heart. Now... the chances of him targeting Kairi of all people just really baffles me..."Riku said. "It's almost like a terrible movie..."

"It's anything but." Tifa said. "Look, Sora... I don't want you to feel bad for Vanitas. Like Cloud and Riku just said, he doesn't care about anyone but himself. Karma or not, we all met him for a reason—and we overcame it. You're going to have to just look towards the future now. He may have been your twin, but he was deranged and evil. To me, that says you're not related at all. So just forget about him—and help Kairi do the same."

"He did so many terrible things to her... do you think that Kairi will ever recover?" Sora asked anxiously.

"As long as you're by her side, I'm sure she will." Riku told him.

"Riku, you've really softened up about all of this." Sora grinned.

Riku shrugged, "Yeah, well... you have to admit, that's a lot to go through just for cheating... not saying that the cheating was right. It was just like... overkill."

"...right." Sora agreed.

Just then, his phone rang. His mother was calling. "Hey... mom..."

_"Sora, where are you?! What's going on?"_

Reluctantly, Sora told her where he was but didn't state why. He wasn't sure how she would react if she knew he was here because of Kairi and Roxas—and what just happened. Of course he would never reveal the truth; he didn't even want to tell Kairi who actually killed Vanitas. All she needed to know was that he was taken care of.

Sora glanced nervously back at Riku and the others before going back inside.

o.o.o

Mr. and Mrs. Yamada rushed into the hospital looking for their son. They were directed up to Kairi's room. Furious, Mrs. Yamada almost didn't go.

Sora was sitting by her bedside with his eyes shut; he was trying really hard to relax. He hadn't gone to see Roxas—not that there was much to see anyway. He knew that once Kairi woke up she would want to. He didn't know how he felt about that.

However, Sora was at a crossroads once again—he needed to let Roxas' family know. He was the only one that knew their number.

"Should I tell Xion too...?"

Roxas didn't deserve his kindness.

But he had been through so much that Sora almost felt that he had been punished enough.

He may or may not have protected Kairi at that warehouse; Sora didn't know what really happened when he wasn't there, besides the obvious rape and beatings, but he was sure that Roxas at least tried.

As terrible as Roxas was in his eyes, Roxas did him a huge favor.

He gave Sora the reality check that he so desperately needed. Kairi helped as well, but...

Sora was always in denial—optimistic and hoping for the best. He didn't see what was going on right in front of him. He didn't want to believe that the people close to him could betray him.

Boy, was he wrong.

If Sora got any lesson out of all this—it was that nobody could be trusted—not so easily, at least.

He looked over at Kairi, who was sleeping soundly in her bed. Sure, they promised to put this all behind them, but Sora knew that it wasn't going to be so simple.

He got out his phone and called Ventus. Instead of calling Xion himself, he decided to ask Ventus to do it and gave him her number. He was a little confused as to why he needed to inform her, but said he would. Sora emphasized that she should probably come with him—as well as her daughter.

Sora had done his part.

As soon as he put his phone down, his mother bust open the door.

"Sora! You're back with _her_?! After what she did?!" She yelled. Kairi woke up in a groggy manner. "You little slut!" Mrs. Yamada yelled, ready to pounce on Kairi. Sora and Mr. Yamada held her back.

Kairi knew that she would have to face Sora's mother again eventually, but she wasn't exactly in the best condition to think properly. Sora tried to reason with his mother. Surprisingly, Mr. Yamada walked over to Kairi's bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked amongst all of the noise.

Taken aback, even Sora and Mrs. Yamada stared.

"Umm... better... now..." Kairi said nervously, glancing back and forth from Sora to Mr. Yamada.

"Don't mind my wife. She'll get used to you."

"What are you saying?! I hate that girl! My son won't be anywhere near her!"

Mr. Yamada escorted her out. Sora rubbed the back of his head, still a bit confused. He and Kairi exchanged strange looks, but just shrugged them off. Smiling, Sora went over to her and kissed her forehead.

"You're really okay?"

"I am now." For the first time in a while, Kairi truly smiled.

o.o.o

The awkward conversation with Xion lingered on Ventus' mind as he went to pick her up. Why was it so important to bring her with him?

He pulled up to the apartment where Xion, a seven month old and Ienzo were standing there, ready to go. Xion put the car seat in the back and secured Ayaka in it. She had no idea how long she would stay on the islands, but she was prepared. They looked as if they were moving with all of the stuff they had with them. After Ienzo and Ventus put them in the trunk, they were on their way.

"I can't believe he's... in a coma..." Xion said anxiously, mostly to herself as they drove down the road.

"Sora insisted that you come with me..." Ventus said.

"That's because-" Ienzo started, but Xion interrupted him. She knew he was about to tell the truth.

"Because Ayaka is your niece." Xion finished, feeling a bit ashamed.

Ventus nearly stopped the car. "W-What?!"

"Roxas... doesn't know that... he has a daughter." Xion sunk in her seat sheepishly. Ienzo gave her a sympathetic look, but he was glad that Xion was finally coming to terms with it.

"And now... he may never know." Ventus sped up, but not too fast. "We need to get to the islands."

o.o.o

Sora heard what sounded like his mother busting out in tears and went to see what was going on. Kairi also got out of bed and pushed the IV machine along with her as she followed him.

"MY SISTER IS DEAD?!"

She found out.

Leon had returned to the hospital after retrieving Rinoa's body from the cottage. What he did with the body, only he knew.

"Sorry, Uncle Leon..." Sora said; tears itching to come out. He leaned down and comforted his mother. Kairi stood and watched.

So _that's_ what happened to her.

She couldn't save her.

Suddenly, Kairi fell to the floor and cried her eyes out. The guy that kidnapped her did this right in front of her, but she couldn't remember what happened right before she was knocked out.

It was dark...

A scream...

"Oh... God..." Kairi curled up and shook uncontrollably. "This... this is my fault... she was trying to protect me..."

"Kairi!" Sora went to her side, "please don't blame yourself!"

"It was my fault for underestimating the situation." Leon said.

"This is nobody's fault but Vanitas'!" Sora yelled. "He was the one that did all of this!"  
"Vanitas?!" Mrs. Yamada shrieked, "Sora, what happened to your brother?!"

"He... he's..." Sora couldn't say it.

"He's dead." Leon answered for him.

If his mother's face could turn anymore pale, it would have. Even though she didn't consider Vanitas as a son, he still came out of her womb. She was numb, broken—a side of her that not even Sora had ever seen.

Kairi lifted herself up; she had no idea why she felt like she just had to hold her. Slowly, Kairi wrapped her arms around Mrs. Yamada and cried. She expected to be pushed away and scolded, but that didn't happen. Everyone watched in shock.

The death of her sister and son at the same time must have really scarred her to let Kairi touch her.

After a few moments, Sora pulled Kairi off of her and helped her stand. Mr. Yamada brought Mrs. Yamada to her feet. She didn't say a word.

"Mom..." Sora watched as his father walked his grief-stricken mother down the hallway. Leon followed them.

Was that how she was when she thought Sora was dead?

Kairi hugged him tightly and sniffled. Eventually, Sora hugged back, not taking his eyes off of his parents.

o.o.o

A few hours later, Xion, Ventus, Ienzo and Ayaka arrived at the hospital.

"My brother is here..." Ventus said to the lady at the counter. They got the room number and hurried down the hall. Ayaka was wide awake and just examining her surroundings as Ienzo carried her. They loaded into an elevator.

"4th floor... Intensive care unit..." Ventus pressed the button.

Xion was extremely nervous at this point. How would she react...? Should she even let her daughter see her father that way?

"I've been to hospitals way too much lately..." Ventus mumbled under his breath. The elevator door opened. Ienzo and Ayaka went first, followed by Xion and him.

They were shocked to see Sora down at the end of the hall, standing outside of what was presumably Roxas' room with his arms crossed and eyes shut.

"Sora!" Xion called out.

"Oh, you're... here..." Sora straightened up. "W-Wait..." he stopped Ventus from rushing in. "Kairi's in there."

"So?!" Ventus said, trying to push past him.

"She's almost done... let her have her closure..." Sora's eyes lowered. Ventus backed off.

Sora hated this.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** I love Cloud's description of Vanitas. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS?! I watch too much ID Discovery. I blame that.

You should leave a **review**.

It's what all the cool kids do.

Uh. I may just update faster if you do.

=D

Anyway, back to the party.

"Boots and pants and boots and pants..." 


	37. Thanks For The Memories

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Seven

o.o.o

_"I want you know that it doesn't matter where we take this road,  
someone's gotta go...  
and I want you to know, you couldn't have loved me better  
but I want you to move on,  
so I'm already gone..."_

o.o.o

Kairi knew exactly how Sora felt about her being in this room right now.

Although it really hurt her to do this to him, she knew that if she didn't see Roxas at least once—even if he was unconscious, it would linger on her mind for the longest time and only cause a strain in their relationship. Seeing Roxas hooked up to a machine with breathing tubes over his mouth and down his nose was heartbreaking, no matter what they had been through. Sora refused to come in and she wasn't going to force him.

This was what had become of them.

It was natural for Kairi to blame herself, but right now she just wanted to admire the fact that Roxas cared so much for her. She had such a deep appreciation for everything Roxas had done for her and she had no idea how to make it up to him. She knew that it was wrong to feel this way. She knew it. But she couldn't look at him any other way. He tried so hard to keep her together when she was so ready to fall apart.

"I know that you'll find another... that won't always make you want to cry... there's someone out there for you, Roxas. Someone that is waiting... hoping... that you'll see them... and love them the same way, if not more than you ever loved me." Kairi took a deep breath. She knew that he couldn't hear her. "You have a good heart, even if... you and I..."

She didn't want to admit her mistakes, but at the same time she had learned so much from them.  
Even if Sora didn't like it, it was the reality that she had to face. This entire journey of ups and downs—way more downs than ups—Kairi wasn't sure whether it had made her better or not, but she definitely felt stronger—and closer to Sora than she ever had been. It's funny how you could spend half of your life with someone and never really actually feel like you knew them. That's how Kairi felt about Sora, Roxas... and even herself.

She never really knew anything.

What she wanted—what Sora wanted—it was all blank.

She knew Roxas had feelings for her, but she never knew the intensity—until now.

Still, she felt like she made the right choice.

Her life was destined to be spent with Sora... no matter what. She was going to work her hardest to make him happy and that was her purpose in life. Wherever Sora was—that was where her home was and she would follow him to the ends of the earth. She hoped that Roxas could find his own path—back home.

"I hope you wake up soon, Roxas... and I... wish you the very best..."

o.o.o

Kairi came out of the room and walked past Sora. An awkward silence overcame everyone.

"I'm... done." she held onto Sora's hand slightly.

"Alright." Sora didn't look at her, "well, we'll be going."

"Wait, Sora..." Xion stopped him.

"Hm?"

"T-Thank you... for letting us know."

"No problem. Like Ienzo said, the little girl deserves her father." Sora smiled. Kairi gave him a very confused look. Xion's face turned red.

"Wait, what?" Kairi asked as she went with Sora down the hall. He didn't explain. As they were leaving the hospital, they ran into Tifa and the others.

"Hey, Sora," Tifa started, "by the way, if you were looking for a job you can come back to the toy company. I'm allowed to hire people!"

"As long as I get to come home every night." Sora said, glancing back at Kairi.

"I have the power to do that too." Tifa grinned. "See you on Monday?"

"Thank you..." Sora looked at the others, "thank you all..."

"We'd do anything for a friend." Zack told him.

"We've always got your back." Cloud added. "Leon would say the same thing."

"I know." Sora bowed to them and Kairi shortly followed. She knew that she should be thanking them as well, but she was at a loss for words.

They said their goodbyes and Sora, Kairi and Riku made their way back to Riku's house where they would be staying for the time being until Sora found a new place.

o.o.o

Namine greeted them at the door. She had already made up the bed down in the basement and had the room ready for them. Sora and Riku went out into the backyard. The moon shone directly above them.

"Want a beer?" Riku asked. "I think I need one after tonight."after a simple nod from Sora, Riku headed back inside and met up with Namine and Kairi in the kitchen. They were quiet when he walked in.

"You two should come outside with us. Ken will be fine. He's asleep, anyway."

Kairi and Namine exchanged looks and helped Riku carry some beer. Sora offered Kairi a chair and she sat down at the small, circular table with the others. Riku offered her a beer, but she refused.

"So... what happened?" Namine asked, still examining Kairi's wounds.

"Stuff." Riku responded, sipping on his beer. "Everything is fine now, though."

Dissatisfied with his answer, Namine turned to Sora, but the nervous look on Sora's face spoke volumes. She decided not to press the matter anymore, especially since Kairi was starting to whimper. Namine rubbed her back gently.

"Anyway," Sora started, "...I hope that... we can all... just be happy from now on..." his eyes glistened in the moonlight.

"I'm game." Riku said.

"Me... too." Namine agreed.

Kairi couldn't bring herself to say anything. Sora gave her an empathetic look. Her eyes were glued to the ground beneath her. Sora was about to get up, but then Kairi spoke.

"I know that... I've been a terrible person lately... but..."

"Kairi," Sora was shushed.

"...I'm glad that... I'm getting a second chance..." she looked directly at Sora.

"Hm." Riku put his beer bottle on the table, "Sora's just a softy."

"Am not!" Sora said playfully.

That night, Kairi fell asleep in Sora's arms. He wasn't drunk, bitter or pushing her away.

She truly felt like he loved her.

o.o.o

o.o.o

_Eight months later_

Roxas was still in a comatose state. Xion visited him almost every day. The doctors said his condition was stable, but the pain that it caused her and his family was nearly unbearable. He had been like this for so long that it was really taking its toll.

"Xion," Ienzo appeared in the door way, holding Ayaka's hand, "are you staying here tonight?"Just as he said that, Ayaka ran over to Roxas' bedside and stood on her tip toes so that she could see him.

"Mommy, why won't daddy wake up?"

"He's having a long dream." Xion told her as she picked her up and placed her in the chair so that she could see.

"What is he dreaming about?"

"I don't know..." Xion didn't know what to say in these situations.

"Maybe if you call him, he'll hear you." Ienzo patted Ayaka's head. Xion's eyes shifted over at him in a glaring manner, as if he was giving her false hope. Ienzo merely shrugged.

"Daddy!" Ayaka called out, taking her uncle's advice.

"Ayaka, sweetie..."

"Wake up, daddy!" Ayaka reached for Ienzo's jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. She unfolded it and said, "look, daddy... I drew a picture of us..."

It was just colorful scribbles on a page, but it meant the world to her.

"Daddy," Ayaka sniffled, "...please wake up..."

Xion couldn't take this anymore. She took Ayaka's hand and said, "let's go back to the hotel."

"No! Daddy has to wake up! What dream is better than being with us?!"

"Ayaka, we're going home."

Ayaka cried as Xion forced her out of the room. However, they were stopped.

"Wait!" Ienzo called out, pointing over at Roxas' bed.

"Huh? What is it?" Xion and Ayaka ran back into the room. They heard a soft grunting sound and the covers were moving.

"R-Roxas?!" Xion ran over to him.

Was this really happening?

Roxas' head slowly moved from right to left as he groaned. His eyes slowly flickered open. A huge sense of confusion came over him.

"H-He's awake! Nurse! NURSE!" Ienzo ran to get one. A few nurses rushed back with him.

"We're going to need you all to leave for the time being while we contact the doctor." one of the nurses forced them out.

"H-He... actually... heard her..." Ienzo said in the middle of the hallway. Nurses rushed in and out of the room as they all just stood there in a daze.

Xion wasn't prepared for this.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** tear. Jerker.

I'm undecided on one or two chapters left.

I THINK.  
TWO.

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU GUYS.

**So leave a review. And you shall receive.**

-heart-

Another thing.

To some people, my chapters are short. When I upload them on here, they're generally around 1600 – 3000 words.

Here's the thing about that:  
I don't like fillers and I try to avoid them. I tend to get to the point when I write. Lol.  
Sometimes the point may not be made until way later but at least I keep the story going at (hopefully) a steady pace.

'til next time!


	38. Paralyzed

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Eight

o.o.o

_'The light... it hurts...'_

_'Why can't I... move...?'_

'Where am... I?'

"His eyes are open but he's not responding yet,"

"His breathing is on track."

_'Who are these people...?'_

"Roxas, I am your nurse. Can you hear me?"

_'They know my name...'_

_'That is my name, right?'_

The bed rattled as the nurses rushed him down the hallway, but Roxas couldn't understand what was happening. Everything was so blurry, his eyes kept opening and closing for extended periods of time and he was extremely confused. He couldn't feel his arms, his legs... he couldn't feel anything.

_'Am I... dreaming...?'_

Something waved in front of his face; his eyes followed as it went back and forth, but pretty soon the darkness returned.

Dark, light, dark, light.

"Can you hear me?"

"Wha..."

He could barely speak.

"Do you know your name?"

_'My... name... is...'_

"My... na-..."

o.o.o

Xion and the others waited for what seemed like forever before a doctor finally appeared in front front of them with a stern look on his face.

"Doctor... how is he?!" Xion pleaded.

"Your friend has been in a coma for a very long time. He knows his first name, but can only recall bits and pieces of information. He may or may not know who you are, but eventually the memories will come back to him. He is very confused and has no idea what happened to him as of right now. I ask that if you decide to see him, be _gentle_ with him. Don't reveal too much, too fast. He cannot process things right now."

With that, they followed the doctor down to the room where Roxas was. Before the doctor allowed them to go inside, he added one more thing.

"There is something that you must know—Roxas will never be able to walk again. He is paralyzed from the waist down. He is very lucky that that is _all_ that he sustained from the trauma."

Xion gasped and nearly fell onto the ground. "L-Lucky?!"

"What I mean is, he could have suffered severe brain injury and become brain dead, but he didn't." the doctor walked off.

"You should go." Ienzo told her, holding Ayaka back.

Xion nodded and slowly opened the door. The beeping from the monitor, as well as low groaning sounds were the only things she heard. She was almost too afraid to look at him, but she persisted. His eyes were open; he saw her, but he didn't say anything.

"Roxas...?"

"Mmmm..."

He was too painful to look at. Xion turned away and tried to hold back her tears. Even though she was very glad that he was awake, she had no idea what in the world was going through his head—if anything.

She obviously wasn't going to get any sort of clear response out of him; coming in here was merely for her own sake and confirmation.

"The lights... are bright..."

_'Did he just say something?'_

Xion stared at him and waited for him to say more.

"Bright... lights..." he started mumbling and Xion couldn't comprehend it. She got up and left the room.

Xion met Ayaka and Ienzo out in the hallway with a disappointed look on her face. Without a word, she walked off.

It was hard for her to come back over the next few days, but gradually, Roxas became more responsive. He was able to put full sentences together and was slowly starting to recover. However, visiting him now was way too much for Xion. She ended up contacting his brother and staying in the hotel for the day. She just couldn't take it.

Eventually, Sora and Kairi found out that Roxas had woken up. Extremely hesitant, they also tried visiting him in the hospital, but this time, Kairi couldn't bring herself to go into the room upon hearing about his inability to walk.

"Alright, just stay out here. I won't be long. Come in if you want." Sora kissed her and then went inside. Ventus was already there at his bedside.

"Can you move your arms?" Ventus asked his brother.

Roxas shook his head. His arms were numb from being in the same spot for so long.

"Hey," Sora greeted, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Roxas, Sora's here." Ventus told him.

"So...ra..."his eyes landed right on Sora's face, but it was as if he had never seen him in his life.

But then, all of a sudden, Roxas unexpectedly started screaming and involuntarily slashing his arms around. Ventus grabbed him and tried to calm him down, but Roxas only screamed louder. Nurses hurried into the room and tried to induce him. After inserting some medicine into his IV, Roxas quickly became calm again and closed his eyes. Ventus sighed heavily and looked as if he was about to rip his hair out.

"That's the fourth time he's lashed out..."

"Lashed... out?" Sora repeated, still kind of alarmed at the situation.

"Don't take it personally." the nurse said to them, "his brain is still trying to process everything. He can't always control his moods and emotions. These reactions are normal, especially after being in a coma for such a long time."

"It still bothers me..." Ventus sighed once more. "Especially since... now he's..."

"What happened?" Kairi appeared in the doorway. Before Sora could stop her, she came around and saw him. Roxas didn't open his eyes; he seemed to have fallen asleep.

"I've seen enough..." Sora escorted Kairi out of the room.

Kairi was torn.

o.o.o

A few days later, Roxas' spasms seemed to have gone away and he was actually sitting up in the bed and moving his torso a little. His memories were still limited, but for the most part, he was really starting to understand the intensity of his situation. The doctor broke the terrible news to him that he would have to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life—he didn't take that very well.

A nurse came into the room to change his IV fluid bag.

"Nurse...?"

"Yes, Roxas?"

"How long... was I... asleep?"

She gave him an anxious look, "you really want me to tell you?"

"Yes... I mean... no... I don't know..." his head started to hurt.

There was a knock at the door. Another nurse poked her head in, "Roxas has some visitors, is that okay?"

"Is it...?" The nurse looked to Roxas for confirmation. He merely shrugged.

Xion walked in, holding Ayaka's hand. Roxas barely recognized her at first, but as she came closer the familiarity came back to him.

"Daddy!" Ayaka blurted out, causing Xion to freak out. She knew this was a bad idea... she knew that he wasn't ready. She prepared herself for the worst...

Roxas gave the little girl a blank stare—for so long that it was almost uncomfortable.

Ayaka broke free from her mother's grip and got up on the chair, then climbed over on the bed with Roxas. He nearly panicked, but as soon as Ayaka wrapped her arms around him he calmed down some. He wasn't sure why, but this little girl made him feel a sense of... peace.

"Ayaka! Get down from there!"

"N-No..." Roxas voiced as he lifted his hand and touched the girl's hair. "It's... okay... but..."

Xion inched closer, her arms uncomfortably wrapped around herself,"...but?"

"Why is she calling me _daddy_? I... don't remember... having any kids..."

Should Xion just tell him everything? Would Roxas be able to react properly after being asleep for such a long time? Was his brain working right?

"Because you're my daddy. Uncle Ienzo showed me pictures. Mommy and I have been coming to see you every day!" Ayaka exclaimed, still holding onto him.

"But I... still don't understand..."

"Roxas," Xion clenched her fists. It was now or never. "A little over two years ago... you and I... we... did something. Ayaka... is the result of what we did... I never told you until now, so that's why you don't remember..."

Silence.

...bitter... silence.

Roxas blinked rapidly, trying to understand what Xion had just said. He looked down at Ayaka, who was just smiling at him. She held onto him tightly, but for Roxas, he was starting to feel uncomfortable. Without warning, he jerked away, causing Ayaka to cry. His heart beat so fast that he felt like he was about to lose consciousness. Xion grabbed Ayaka from the bed and moved a considerable amount of distance away as Roxas tried to pull himself together. Everything was coming back at once. All of his bitter memories—Kairi, Sora, Riku, Vanitas... his betrayal...

"No! No!" Roxas screamed, clutching his forehead. Xion took Ayaka out into the hallway; she was afraid for her daughter's safety, even though she knew that Roxas wouldn't be able to get out of the bed.

"I... I need... to get out of here... Kairi... she's... where is she... where is Kairi...?! WHERE IS SHE?! AH!" Roxas tried to move, but his legs wouldn't go anywhere. His upper body could, but it felt like the rest of him was gone. He was forced down by some nurses, but struggled in their grasp.

"Stabilize him!" The nurse tried to put more medicine into his IV, but Roxas was moving too much. Finally, he was restrained. His arm burned as the medicine went through his veins, but pretty soon he felt drowsy and loopy.

He was left to his dreams—or nightmares.

Depended on how you looked at it.

o.o.o

Sora signed a lease to a nice three bedroom apartment near the toy company. Today was their first day moving in and they were both very excited to start over in a new place. Miraculously, they had gotten a place on the first floor and it was a lot easier to move everything inside.

"Tomorrow we'll get the water and electricity turned on and we'll be set." Sora told Kairi in the dark kitchen. Their only light source was the moon shining through the window, but it really set the mood. Sora wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, nudging her nose with his and not taking his eyes away. Kairi smiled and gave him a quick kiss before turning her head away shyly. Intrigued, Sora placed his palm on her cheek and gently made her look back at him.

"I love you, Kairi," he whispered right before going in for a kiss.

"Ahem..." Kairi looked up into his eyes, "...is... the bed set up?"

_"Ohh_..." Suddenly, Sora picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen and down the hall. He kicked open the bedroom door and put Kairi on the bed, not taking his lips away from hers. After a while, he got off of her and lay down next to her, just admiring her from her side. Kairi faced him and smiled warmly; she had never seen Sora look at her in such a way.

"Well, goodnight." she said to him.

"Goodnight." Sora kissed her one more time before falling asleep.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**A/N:** I decided to add another chapter, so as of right now, there are two chapters left. The situation with Roxas was too much to put into one chapter and I didn't realize that until I wrote it. 40 chapters even! ...the 39 was bugging me anyway...

So... do you think karma finally came back to Roxas? No bad deed goes unpunished.

As always,

**Please leave a review**!

.


	39. When I'm Gone

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Thirty-Nine

o.o.o

_"Try to leave the light on when I'm gone  
even in the daylight, shine on  
and when it's late at night you can look inside  
you won't feel so alone..."_

o.o.o

Xion didn't bring Ayaka back to the hospital after Roxas' incident, but she still wanted to visit him. He was going to be discharged soon and he wasn't wanting to go home with his brother just yet.

Ventus was helping Roxas get into a wheelchair, in which he would have to live in for the rest of his life. Roxas' feet touched the ground, but he felt nothing. A nurse and Ventus lifted him into the chair. The nurse began explaining to him how to maneuver the wheelchair, but Roxas wasn't listening. Would he really be stuck like this forever? The denial was overwhelming that this would actually be his life from now on. His hands gripped the chair rests tightly as he tried to come to terms with it, but he just couldn't.

"Will you be his primary caretaker?" the nurse asked Ventus, who nodded.

"N-No..." Roxas started, but said nothing else when he saw Xion coming towards him. The nurse pulled Ventus out into the hallway and talked with him, leaving them alone in the room.

"How... are you feeling?" Xion asked anxiously.

"...how do you think?" Roxas glared at the ground.

"Look, Roxas... about what I told you..." she felt the tears coming on, "...I don't expect anything from you. But... that's me being selfish."

"How?"

"Ayaka really... wanted to see you."

"How do I know she's mine?"

Taken aback, Xion had to think of the right words to say, "We can get a DNA test. I promise you though, she is. I slept with you simply to get her..." Xion looked away.

"What do you mean?" Roxas gave her a confused look.

"Well... you never knew it, but... I've... been..." she couldn't say it.

"Been what? Just tell me." his impatience and arrogance was showing, something the old Xion would have been able to counter. But right now, she was weak in front of him. She was exposing her deepest feelings that she had kept hidden for so long. She thought that she could find solace in her daughter that they made together, but the truth was, she needed him too. She had no idea how to explain that to someone who had been blinded by what he thought to be love for half of his life.

But... was Xion blind as well?

If the revelation of his daughter wasn't enough, her spilling out her feelings would only be a waste of time.

"Anyway, if you don't want to be a part of Ayaka's life, that will be your choice. But please, I hope you will think of her."

"Xion, you have to understand... I just got out of an eight month coma and now this? Look at me! I'm... I can't do _anything_ for a child!" He slammed his arms down.

"You're wrong."

Sora appeared at the door; Kairi was behind him but Roxas couldn't see her. Sora walked up to him, giving him the most sympathetic look. Sora pulled up the chair and sat down. Xion turned to walk out, but he asked her to stay.

"Roxas, you can speak. Your arms can still move. Your heart still beats. Right?"

Roxas didn't answer him.

"What I mean is, you can still tell her what's right and wrong, hold her when she's sad and love her when it seems like no one else will. Crippled or not, _like it or not_, you have a responsibility to her."

"Why do you care? Don't you hate me?"

"How can I hate you after everything you've been through?" Sora grinned at him. "I should, but I don't. Besides, have you seen that little girl? She's precious and doesn't deserve to be without you."

"This was just... thrown at me!"

"So was the fact that you and Kairi betrayed me." Sora said simply, more to his words than anyone could imagine. "It may have taken me a while, but... I forgave you. Both of you."

"How..." a tear rolled down Roxas' cheek, "...how... could you be... so stupid, Sora?"

Sora should have taken this as an insult, but he merely laughed.

"I should have just... taken her home that night... when she kissed me... I shouldn't have..."

"Whoa, I don't need details," Sora waved his hands back and forth. Xion figured that this was between them now, so she left the room and didn't let anyone else go inside.

"No, but you _do_ need to know. Kairi and I... we did one of the worst things possible. I _knew_ that she wouldn't choose me. I _knew_ that she would never love me. But yet, I still..."

Sora was quiet; a serious look on his face.

Tears rolled down his cheeks nonstop as he tried to continue, but he just ended up burying his face in his hands. This was the first time Sora had ever seen him cry in all of their years of knowing each other and he wasn't really sure how to handle it.

"I barely cried... when we thought you died. I wasn't very sad... at all..."

"Why was that?" Sora asked.

"I... I don't know. It was like... maybe I had a chance with Kairi. Maybe... but... even in your absence she still loved you. I was so fixated on what I wanted that..."Roxas sniffled, "...god, I'm such an _idiot_... and now... I will never be able to walk again and have to depend on others all the time. This is my punishment."

"If it counts," Sora got up and handed him some tissues, "I'll always be here for you."

"That's what I don't understand..."

"It's not like you're a random person on the street that my girlfriend went and slept with. I've known you since we were in diapers. I have to admit, I was a jerk to you growing up."

"Sora-"

"I rubbed it in your face. Kairi liked me and I liked her, but I knew that you wanted her. Then it just became a matter of who she wanted in the end. Kairi always had control of... both of us. We did everything for her—in different ways."

"Ain't that the truth..." Roxas shook his head.

"It's not an excuse for cheating, but... that's just how it was."Sora cleared his throat, "Look, I know Kairi still cares about you. It makes me jealous and drives me crazy, but I'm going to try and deal with it. No matter what I do or how much I love her, you were part of her life too. You're not someone she can just get rid of."

A half smirk crept across Roxas' face. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

Sora shrugged, "I'm just saying what's on my mind."

"Well," Roxas wiped his tears away and straightened up in his chair, "thanks, Sora."

"For what?"

"For just being you."

"Hm." Sora smiled. "Well... Kairi's outside. Want me to get her?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't have anything to say to her. It's a lost cause. But... I would like to see... my..." he paused, "daughter..."

Sora was a little surprised, but nodded and headed towards the door.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm... truly sorry... for everything."

"I know." with that, Sora went out into the hallway and met with Ventus, Xion, Kairi and now Ienzo and Ayaka. He leaned down in front of the little girl and smiled, "Your daddy wants to see you."

Ayaka hid behind her uncle, but Ienzo assured her that it was okay.

"So it's true..." Kairi glanced over at Xion, who just blushed.

Xion and Ayaka went into the hospital room and shut the door. Sora put his arm around Kairi and just grinned.

"Must be hard for him." Ventus said, "but he'd better not turn down my niece or I'll kick his ass."

"I don't think that's what's happening here." Sora laughed. A bit uncomfortable, Kairi broke away from Sora and walked down the hallway. She went out into the courtyard area and stood next to the fountain.

She should have been the paralyzed one.

Sora came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She was crying again.

"It just... hurts..."

"What does?" Sora whispered behind her.

"It's not fair. It's too much. We all have suffered too much..."

"Kairi," Sora turned her around, "all of this happened for a reason. Aren't we better now?"

"I... don't know..."

"Sure, there were a lot of set backs... but we have learned so much. You, me, Roxas... everyone. I _know_ that you're a stronger person now. It may have taken terrible circumstances to get to this point, but I'm sure the future can only get brighter. However... you have to just... let it be. What happened, happened. It can't be changed. Someday, everything will make sense."

"I've made my mistakes... I've learned from them... but I can't help it. Roxas is in a wheelchair..."

"Roxas will _be fine_. He's way stronger than you think. I mean, come on, he put up with _you_." Sora chuckled. Kairi hit his shoulder playfully.

"Always joking, aren't you?"

"You love me."

"Of course I do..."

o.o.o

Roxas wheeled around to the end of the bed as Xion and Ayaka walked in. Her small, blue eyes looked up at him; she seemed a bit frightened after what happened the other day. Xion held onto her hand.

"Come here, you." Roxas smiled, making everything okay for her. She ran over to him. Roxas leaned over and picked her up, setting her down in his lap. Xion watched with tears in her eyes. This was actually happening?

Ayaka hugged his chest as tightly as she could and Roxas felt calm once again. Even though it was scary, it felt right.

Maybe his life wouldn't be so bad after all.

Ventus came into the room. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah, but..."Roxas looked down at his daughter, "If Xion is okay with it, I would like... to go with her..."

"What?" Xion's eyes widened. "Really?"

"I have a responsibility." Roxas said simply.

"Good enough for me." Ventus said as he pushed the wheelchair out of the room.

It was nice not having to worry about Kairi for once. It was nice to be surrounded by people that cared for him, even if he didn't initially think so. For Roxas, this was the path he was going to take—and whether he was ready for it or not, well, he would find out. He may have failed with Kairi, but now he had another girl. Someone he could guide through life, teach, love and cherish.

He was going home.

o.o.o

**A/N:** Brb. Gonna go cry.

Oh gosh. One. Effing chapter. Left.  
I can't believe it.  
I don't want to end it. I don't want to. No!

In the meantime,  
I want you all to check out some of the stories written by my reviewers. I have some truly talented people reading this story. And I'm sure for those readers who haven't reviewed yet, you also have some great stories or story ideas.

I also have a bunch of favorited stories that are pretty awesome.

I recommend a much more light-hearted story:

**And That's The General Idea** by Vixen2004.  
"Dating Kairi is like an imminent death sentence - comparable only to stage three terminal brain cancer or a mortally wounding gun shot ... to the face. You choose. Kairi X Roxas"

This is my favorite story on the site. No lie. It's hilarious.

But if you still want your 'darkfic' fix,

**Finding Hikari** by Princess-Xion

Gosh, don't even know what to say about this fic other than it's NOT for the squeamish. This story is a million times darker than this one, but great.

Also,  
check out the playlist. I moved important songs to the top. Haha! Any K-pop has English subs. The words. Wooords.

**REVIEW!**


	40. Two is Better Than One

**A/N: **Okay, I get it, eight months was a long time, but I needed Ayaka to be old enough to form sentences. It was so cute, wasn't it? WASN'T IT?!

**Nickpotter**: Originally, I was planning Roxas' ending to be a whole lot worse, honestly. (suicide) But the clue lies in the description of this story! :P

I ain't gon' explain myself no more.

(This makes me want to write a Nami/Riku story where Namine is a southern bell).

Random thoughts over. SUPER LONG LAST CHAPTER, COMMENCE! (okay, it's long to me, so hush)

Hehe!

o.o.o

**Follow Me Home**

Chapter Forty: Final

o.o.o

_"Let's rewrite an ending that fits instead of a Hollywood horror..."_

o.o.o

Two weeks later, Ventus took Roxas down to the auto shop that their father owned. After helping him get into his wheelchair, Roxas followed behind him as he went into the garage. There were a few people there doing various things, one of them a long time family friend named Cid.

"Well, I'll be darned. Look who decided to show up, it's the Yonehara brothers!" Cid washed his hands off, "but what happened to you?" he examined Roxas.

"Long story..."

"I see. Hmm. Well, I already know why you're here. Your mama told me that Mr. Yonehara's wish was for you two to take over the shop, eh?"

"Yeah, well... I think Roxas would do much better than me, even if he is like this." Ventus said.

"Wait, what can I do?" Roxas glared at his brother, "I thought we were only coming here to visit!"

"You seem to forget, Roxas, you have a child now. Gotta support her somehow." Ventus winked.

"Oh, well that puts this on a whole new level." Cid walked around to the counter and grabbed the wireless phone. "In that case, you can answer the phone, hand me stuff, deal with customers..."

"So I'm a secretary?" Roxas sighed.

"Well, you ain't gonna get manager overnight."

Ventus faced his brother. "What do you think?"

"Your dad may have been an architect, but this shop was his real dream. And Roxas, I know you loved working here when you were a teenager. You were here all the time. I'm giving you a chance. Take it or leave it." Cid said.

He wasn't in a position to refuse.

Even though things weren't perfect with Xion, that didn't stop them from putting aside their differences for Ayaka's sake. Maybe someday he would learn to love Xion, but for now, his main focus was set.

"I'll take it." Roxas shook hands with Cid.

As Ventus wheeled Roxas back to the car, he said, "Dad will be happy. You'll do great."

"Whatever."

"Roxas, don't you think you should let go of your teenage-like angst? The fights you had with our parents were all normal things that everyone goes through. Why do you have to hold such a grudge against them?"

"I don't. I just hate myself for the way that I acted and I don't know how to say that I'm sorry."

Shocked, Ventus cleared his throat as he lifted Roxas into the passengers seat. "Don't say it, then. Show it." he glanced back at the shop, then at Roxas again before shutting the door and going around to the other side. Roxas rested his head on the seat and sighed.

He would often wonder how Kairi was doing.

But he knew that she was nothing more than a memory. Refusing Sora's offer to talk to her was like saying goodbye.

Strangely, he didn't regret it.

Once they got back to Xion's apartment, Ventus waited until Roxas was safely into the elevator before driving off. The doors closed and Roxas pressed the button to go to the appropriate floor. He was slowly adjusting to this new life, but it still sucked. He kept telling himself that this was temporary and he would be able to stand up again, but every time it was in vain. He would just have to find a way to live with it. He was lucky to even be alive.

Roxas made his way over to the door and got out his key. He could hear Ayaka crying and Xion trying to calm her. Hesitating to open the door, Roxas just sat there and listened. Taking a deep breath, after unlocking it he reached for the doorknob and opened it, then pushed himself inside.

"There you are! Ugh, finally! Here, just take her!" Xion set Ayaka in his lap and went back to her room. Ayaka stopped crying.

"Daddy, is mommy mad at me?"

"No, of course not. Mommy... is just tired."

Roxas didn't know how to handle children, but he tried his best.

Xion emerged a few minutes later, a sense of shame on her face. "Sorry."

She really did need him.

Roxas put Ayaka down and went over to her. "We'll... get through this."

"Yeah..."

He had to give Xion credit—raising Ayaka on her own (well, Ienzo helped but that wasn't the same) must have been extremely difficult. How Roxas would have felt if he found out about this sooner, he didn't know, but he believed the timing couldn't have been better. He was slowly, but surely, letting Kairi go and replacing her with love for this child.

He finally had a purpose.

o.o.o

Namine poked Riku's face. He didn't move.

She poked him again.

And again.

"Ugh... five more minutes..." Riku rolled over in the bed.

"No! You need to wake up and help me put this party together! It's already two in the afternoon! You contacted everyone, right?"

"Hmm? Mhm..."

Namine squealed and jumped out of the bed. Riku grunted and rolled so far he nearly fell out, but was able to save himself from imminent doom right before going over the edge. As if his efforts to get a few more moments of shut eye after a night of booze and stupid rich girls were useless, his son came running into the room, also apparently excited about this little 'secret' party for Sora and Kairi that Namine so desperately wanted to throw. He danced around the bed, thus finally making Riku sit up in a disheveled state.

"Dad! Will there be cake at the party?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure."

"And ice-cream?"

"Most likely."

Ken was in need of a haircut; his light blonde hair was touching his shoulders and he had trouble keeping it out of his face. Riku insisted that because he was his son, he was allowed to have long and sexy hair, but Namine didn't like the constant misunderstandings about their son's gender from strangers. She was afraid that it would mess with Ken's psyche and confuse him, but generally was ignored because Ken would side with his father. Kids don't give a damn about their looks, Riku would reason, but Namine was persistent and ordered him to cut his son's hair before the party.

After a long shower, Riku was ready for the day ahead of cleaning, decorating and apparently turning into a barber for ten minutes. Namine wouldn't let him rest for one second; her perfectionist side was in full swing and he had no choice but to go along with her antics.

He loved his wife—really.

But did they really need a huge banner sprawled across their glass door outside? Balloons throughout the house that were helium jokes waiting to happen? A feast for the gods? Probably not. However, Namine wasn't going to back down. This was for Kairi, the one that she only recently fully reconciled with. They were like best friends once again and Namine felt like she was back in high school, giggling about silly gossip that the two shared, most likely about their significant others. She was excited about some sort of news that she only told Riku about the day before, thus making him invite _everyone_ over in a day's notice.

Ken completed all of his miniature duties with pride; he was truly turning into a great kid. He picked up his toys off of the floor, dusted anything he could reach and made origami ducks that he named Donald.

"Riku, can you preheat the oven?" Namine called from the bathroom; she was scrubbing the floor meticulously, making sure it was spotless. Riku looked down at her from the doorway, amazed that she was going to all of this trouble.

"Yes, sweetie, but you'll have to do something for me."

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Namine polished the counters with some lemony stuff.

"Yes, but you look so cute. Couldn't you wear a maid outfit instead? It would be more fitting... and I may enjoy this cleaning the whole house thing even though the main party will be outside a little more."

"Hell no. Go start the oven. We only have three hours left. And then give Ken a haircut."

"You do realize that I will be cutting his hair in this very bathroom?"

Namine stopped scrubbing for a moment and gave him a stern look that said, 'go do what I said before I kill you.'

Riku trotted off at his wife's demand. Was he whipped? He didn't want to think so.

Not that it mattered, anyway. He just loved to mess with her.

o.o.o

Kairi and Sora were expecting to join Namine and Riku at their house for dinner that night, so they tried to portion their meals throughout the day. Not that Kairi was exactly in the mood to eat—she had something itching on her mind that made her cringe at just the thought of certain foods.

Sora was tucked away in the computer room, playing some sort of game that he referred to as "WoW," something Kairi knew nothing about, but she was glad that he was able to occupy himself and she didn't have to face him at the moment. Just a few days prior, she and Namine found out something—something that was going to change Kairi and Sora's life forever.

She was pregnant.

Wait—that wasn't all.

_She was pregnant with twins_.

Yes, that's right, there were two little ones growing inside of her. Two.

And it overwhelmed the hell out of her.

Not only was she afraid of history repeating itself, she was also afraid of what was to come if she did go full term.

There was one thing that comforted her, though.

There was no doubt in her mind that Sora was the father.

In the past eight months, even though it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, Sora and Kairi found new ways to compromise and come to mutual agreements that only strengthened their relationship. Sometimes Sora would question her too much before she left, but she understood why he was doing it. He wasn't acting as badly as he previously anticipated, but he was still a bit insecure. She could truly see that he was trying, though. She wanted to put in just as much effort.

"AW, DAMN IT!" Sora yelled from the other room, probably meaning he lost or something. After a few moments, he came out. "Well, I'm ready to go if you are."

Kairi chuckled, "I am."

o.o.o

"Riku, did you set the plates outside?"

"Yes."

"Napkins? Forks? Cups?"

"Yes, dear."

"Protective bug barrier thing is in place?"

"Covered."

"Table for the presents-"

Riku placed his hands on Namine's tense shoulders and put his face close to hers, "Namine, everything is ready."

Namine thought for a moment, "Hmm... what about the pie?"

"I thought you were taking care of that."

"RIKU!" Namine rushed into the kitchen. Riku just laughed. The doorbell rang.

"Let's get this party started..."

Mr. and Mrs. Yamada, Leon, Yuffie, Tifa, Cloud, Zack and Genesis were all crowded in front of his door; he was surprised they all got here at the same time. Aqua and Terra were walking up the driveway; they had come all the way from Twilight Town just to see Kairi. Leon seemed to be doing okay.

"Riku, did you make the travel arrangements for Kairi's-"Namine stopped when she realized everyone was standing in the doorway.

"_Yes,_ I was about to go and get her if you would let me breathe."

"Alright, everyone..." Namine laughed nervously as she set the pie down on the table, "now, this is a surprise party, as you know, so..."

"Mommy, am I the only kid here?" Ken tugged on her shirt.

"No, Uncle Sora is coming over."

"YAY!" he ran off into his room.

Mrs. Yamada didn't look the least bit pleased, but agreed to come simply because she would be getting grandchildren. It was a little iffy for Namine to invite her, but she did anyway in hopes that maybe she and Kairi will finally come to some sort of understanding.

"Well, everyone... Sora and Kairi should be here soon! Um... I'm still putting the final touches on everything. Presents go on that table outside. I hope you bought double!" Namine directed everyone to the back yard.

o.o.o

Twenty minutes later, Sora and Kairi finally arrived. Everyone else was hiding outside. Riku hadn't returned with the special guest yet, so Namine was getting a little fidgety, but nevertheless, she was able to compose herself for the main guests. Sora and Kairi were very confused upon their arrival; noticing the over the top decorations, the cleanliness of the house, balloons and a dinner that looked fit for twenty people. Kairi quickly understood what was going on, but Sora didn't have a clue. She frantically pulled Namine aside.

"Namine?! What is this?!"

"Your very early baby shower!"

Kairi's mouth gaped open; she wasn't ready to tell Sora yet. Naturally, her hormones caused her to break into tears, but they were short lived when Riku returned—with someone she hadn't seen in years.

"G-Grandma...?" Kairi was shocked as Riku helped the old woman into the house.

"Whoa!" Sora greeted her immediately and gave her a chair.

"I don't need that, boy." Kairi's grandmother went over to Kairi and took her hands in hers. "Congratulations, honey."

"She knows?" Kairi glanced back at Namine.

"How else would I have gotten her here?" Riku asked, heading outside. "Come on."

They all followed Riku outside.

Aqua broke the silence. "Alright, everyone!"

"SURPRISE!"

"Congratulations, Sora and Kairi!" Tifa jumped up and down.

"Am I missing something?" Sora noticed his parents in the crowd. "You're here too?!"

Kairi froze; this was all so nice of them, but at the same time she was terrified of telling Sora, even though she knew that he would be happy. And now she had an audience. She glared at Namine, who only laughed innocently back at her. She knew Namine's intentions were good, but did she really have to invite Mrs. Yamada? Something bad was bound to happen...

"Kairi, I'm so happy for you." Aqua and Terra appeared in front of her.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Sora pestered. Everyone turned their attention to Kairi.

"Umm... well..."

Kairi wanted someone to blurt it out for her, but that wasn't happening.

"Kairi, show him the pictures." Namine whispered, "You brought them, didn't you?"

"They're... in my purse..." Kairi said. She slowly reached into her purse and pulled out the ultrasound pictures.

"What is that?" Sora was starting to get impatient. Kairi handed them to him; her eyes locked on the ground.

Wait for it—_wait for it_...

"OH MY GOD, KAIRI, YOU'RE PREGNANT?!"

"Geeze, boy, what did you think this was? A birthday party?" Kairi's grandmother asked, shaking her head.

"Yeah... three months along... but Sora, look closer." Kairi said in shy manner, going over to clarify what he was looking at. "There's... two."

"TWO?!"

Everyone laughed at Sora's sudden shock. Even Kairi lit up a little.

"This is your fault for having the twin gene." Kairi joked.

"My mother was a twin." Kairi's grandmother mentioned.

"This... this is just... AMAZING!" Sora threw his arms around Kairi, nearly knocking her over. He was ecstatic.

"Sora has always wanted kids." Tifa giggled.

"Oh my gosh, I've gotta tell everyone! Wait... everyone's here. They already know. I'm the last to know. Wait, they're mine, right? Namine, you planned this, didn't you? What am I saying? I don't know what I'm saying..." he hugged Kairi again, "YEAH!"

"Okay, he had the right to ask that," Riku whispered to Namine.

Sora's excitement didn't waver throughout the rest of the party. After everyone had a look at the ultrasound, ate and chatted for a while, it was time to open the presents. Namine set out two chairs by the table for Sora and Kairi.

"Just so you know, my present is me. You'll just have to live with that." Kairi's grandmother said.

"I wouldn't want it any other way!" Kairi exclaimed, loving her grandmother's blunt attitude. Namine handed her the first present.

Everything was doubled. There were toys for both genders; Kairi didn't know what she was having yet.

"Kairi, what would you name them?" Tifa asked.

"Hmm... I haven't really thought about it."

"How about this," Namine started, "if both are boys, Kairi names them. If both are girls, Sora does. If there's a boy and a girl, well, you both get to choose!"

"We all know that the _lady_ has the final say." Riku's eyes shifted to his wife, who only giggled.

"Hmm... if boys..." Kairi pondered, "Akira... and Kosuke."

"Those are perfect names for twins!" Tifa said.

"I like that," Sora said, "but don't expect me to come up with names. I won't know until I see them."

As the presents piled up and the table became emptier, there was only one present left. Mrs. Yamada stepped forward, picked it up and handed it to Kairi.

"Is this... from you?" Kairi asked, taking it. Mrs. Yamada looked away.

"Just open it."

Inside were three picture frames, along with an empty album. Kairi thanked her.

"I hope... you keep both of them." Mrs. Yamada walked back over to her husband.

"Of... course we will..." Kairi said, a little confused.

"Thanks, mom." Sora smiled, completely understanding what she meant. Even though his brother was the devil in disguise, he knew that his mother loved him and it was probably very hard for her to give him up. Maybe if Sora had a chance to grow up with Vanitas, he would not have turned out to be so... insane. But then again, Sora liked the way things were. He liked being here with his friends, family and wonderful girlfriend. And now—he was going to be a father—something he had wanted for a long time.

"Is it cake time?" Ken whined, interrupting the sense of awe throughout the adult's faces. Sora grinned and picked him up.

"You bet it is!"

And that was how Kairi knew that Sora was going to be a great father. Hell, he worked at a toy company for god sakes. Half of the items given to them probably came from there. Nevertheless, his optimism gave her that comfort that she so desperately needed. And with all of these people around her—that actually didn't _hate_ her, it was nice.

Very nice.

She didn't expect them to like her—but they did.

"Tifa, are you and Cloud dating or something?" Yuffie interrupted her thoughts.

"You noticed? Turns out, Cloud was never married. He only said that because he was afraid of a broken heart!"

"Tifa, why do you have to tell everyone everything?!"

Kairi went over to Sora. He was still holding Ken as he cut the cake.

"Alright, Ken. Ready?"

The boy nodded. Kairi stood right next to them.

"Now!"

Cake was shoved into her face by the three year old—or Sora—who could tell? Kairi gasped and almost fell over. Everyone laughed and Kairi was immediately given napkins.

"Sora, I'm going to _kill_ you!"

"You can't die twice!" he ran as she chased him around the backyard.

Oh Sora, she just loves your dark sense of humor.

But, pipe down. You might get hurt.

Sora _let her_ catch him; he didn't want Kairi to put the babies in danger somehow. Much to his surprise, Kairi tackled him to the ground. This was when she wished she had her own cake ammo, but instead, she just ended up getting lost in his eyes.

"Ahem, there is a child present." Namine said.

"I love you, idiot." Kairi said, getting off of him.

"I love you too." he flashed a cheesy smile.

This was where she was supposed to be.

With Sora by her side, anything was possible.

They had been to hell and back, but for some reason, it was all worth it.

The future didn't scare them at all.

o.o.o

o.o.o

**_Fin_**

o.o.o

**A/N: **Oh. God. It's done. It's over with. Critique me later for things I missed, k? Just let me come to terms with the fact that it's finally finished.

Okay, done with that. BRING IT ON!

Yay for double meanings in the chapter title.

(If anyone noticed my other story reference, kudos!)

But a few things first:

I could have touched up a little more on Roxas' family situation, but really, it was kind of just a ploy to get him to meet his daughter. As well as part of the reason he was so into Kairi.

Vanitas was more explained in part one than two. I wanted part two to be more SoKai-ish.

That's all I got.

o_o_o

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO

**Englishhedgehog13, J1210, Crush-Chan17, Sookdeo, Ian, FarmerD, PurgeJuls** and EVERYONE that followed, reviewed and favorited this story! I couldn't have done it without you guys. Really.

Now, as I try to figure out what to do with my life, I hope you leave one more **review**!

Resurrection on "abc" looks like it will be interesting...

Pokemon is on Netflix...

Oh who am I kidding? I'll have a new story out soon enough...


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